Since Labour took power in July 2024, every government department has been hard at work developing plans for a better country and better economy, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is no exception. Labour’s ‘Get Britain Working‘ plan aims to tackle unemployment and foster a thriving, inclusive economy for everyone. To ensure that every individual can contribute meaningfully to society, this ambitious initiative aims to raise the national employment rate regardless of one’s background. However, when it comes to disabled people, we prefer to err on the side of caution whenever we hear proposals about helping us get back into the workplace.

Chronic Illness and Disability

The Labour MP for Birkenhead and employment minister Alison McGovern has been at the forefront of Labour’s employment reform initiatives. Central to these efforts is the Get Britain Working plan, which aims to raise the national employment rate from 75 per cent to 80 per cent, translating to over two million additional people in the workforce. Usually, Job Centres are key to raising employment figures. They can be extremely helpful for job seekers looking for work, and they can be very supportive of people with long-term sickness issues who wish to return to the job market. But Job Centres are not perfect and some people fall through the cracks.

One key feature of Labour’s Get Britain Working plan is employment support for long-term sickness, chronic illness, and disabilities. While acknowledging the difficulties associated with long-term sickness and mental health issues, McGovern likewise points out that the current benefits system may discourage individuals from seeking employment. Emphasising the disparity between sickness benefits and employment support, she argues that there is an urgent need for welfare reforms that facilitate a smoother transition back to employment for those with disabilities and long-term illness.

Invisible Disabilities

Invisible disabilities and illnesses are an area where the Department for Work and Pensions needs better education. Understanding invisible disabilities, especially among young people, is key to improving their job prospects and raising the national employment rate.

Invisible disabilities can develop at any age and can prevent people from working for different reasons. My own experience of living with a disability is sadly not a unique one. I have several invisible illnesses that hamper my day-to-day life and the ability to carry out the most basic of tasks that people take for granted. I suffer from a range of illnesses that include Chiari Malformation, Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemiplegic Migraines. In the past, trying to get disability and employment support for these conditions through the DWP was a difficult task. This was especially because I was diagnosed at a very late stage and only after repeated misdiagnoses.

Having several invisible illnesses highlights the need for greater awareness and support. I am someone who wants to work but struggles to overcome her health issues. I have a bachelor’s degree in Politics and International Relations and a Master’s in International Law, and yet I am unable to gain stable employment due to what I see as a lack of understanding of certain conditions. My most disturbing experience with sickness benefits was during a recent DWP benefit award phone call. The decision-maker in charge of deciding my high-rate Personal Independence Payment admitted that he had not heard of Chiari Malformation or how it affects a person. The outcome of that call was that the matter needed to be researched further before a final decision could be made.

Labour’s Challenge

The severity of my disabilities and the fact that they are inoperable, have prevented me from keeping a job. I have worked in the past, but the physical toll on my body and the lack of support from my employer has made it impossible to stay in employment. The lack of sickness support for disabled employees has forced me to quit work to focus on my recovery and rehabilitation. The business I worked for operated on a zero-hour contract model, with no guarantee of sick pay or time off for ongoing illness. I am hopeful that Labour’s Employment Rights Bill will fulfil its aim of guaranteeing contracted hours and sick pay from the first day of employment. Of course, the reality is that a change in the law does not always guarantee its observance. And, there is nothing stopping employers from avoiding hiring the disabled and chronically sick to bypass any legal changes.

Labour’s plan to get more people back into work is a good start. But for this to become reality there needs to be an element of cooperation between the DWP and the NHS. Being informed about various degenerative conditions can help speed things up when it comes to helping people transition back into the workplace. We all have different needs and anyone can experience a serious illness at any time in their lives. What matters is that the infrastructure is there to catch people when they fall, and to prevent them falling through the cracks.

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Disabled People employers Labour