According to a recent study by Allsup, a Social Security Disability provider, unemployment for people with disabilities continues to outpace the unemployment rate for other works. The number of unemployed and disabled Americans is on the rise.
The study reports the number of people applying for SSDI benefits reached a record: 2.9 million applicants in 2010. This is the highest number of disability benefit applicants since the program began in 1956. The number of Americans leaving the workforce due to disability and then being unable to return to work is climbing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics proved this statistic in through its 2009 figures.
Unemployment averaged 14.5 percent in the fourth quarter for individuals with disabilities, compared to 8.9 percent for people with no disabilities. People with disabilities experienced a 57 percent higher unemployment rate than those without disabilities.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that in December about 6.4 million unemployed individuals had been jobless for 27 weeks or more. This particular figure is up from 2.6 million unemployed individuals in 2008.
A common frustration appears to be people disabilities realizing that they are physically incapable of returning to the workforce.