Remote working rollback threatens disabled employment gains, study finds
A decline in fully remote job opportunities is creating a growing barrier for disabled workers at a time when disabled unemployment is already rising sharply, according to research from Lancaster University
The Inclusive Remote and Hybrid Working Study, described as the largest of its kind in the UK, surveyed more than 1,200 disabled people over two years. It found that more than eight in 10 working-age disabled respondents considered access to home working essential or very important when searching for a new job.
Analysis of Adzuna job vacancy data shows the proportion of fully remote roles has fallen to 4.3% of all adverts in 2024-25, half the level seen at the pandemic peak. Growth in hybrid working has also stalled, with only one in seven vacancies offering hybrid arrangements.
The findings land against a backdrop of rising disabled unemployment. Official ONS figures show one in 11 disabled people were unemployed in the three months to December at 9.2%, double the national average of 4.4%. There were 547,000 unemployed disabled people in that period, an increase of 110,000 year on year.
The Work Foundation, which coordinated the study with Manchester Metropolitan University, noted that unemployment has risen faster for disabled people than for the wider workforce over the past 12 months.
The study found significant health benefits associated with remote working for disabled employees. Almost two thirds of fully remote disabled workers said their work pattern positively affected their physical health, compared with around a third of those working remotely less than half the time.
The research makes five policy recommendations to the UK government. It calls for remote and hybrid jobs to be made a core part of efforts to increase disabled people's employment, including through clearing Access to Work backlogs. It also recommends that employers be encouraged to advertise flexibility upfront, particularly on the DWP's Find a Job portal, and that regional inequalities in access to hybrid work be addressed through the Industrial Strategy.
On reasonable adjustments, the study calls for stronger enforcement, ensuring employers properly consider remote and hybrid working as part of their duties under the Equality Act 2010. It also recommends improving accountability by requiring large employers to report on outcomes for disabled workers.
Lead researcher Paula Holland said the findings indicated that companies mandating office returns could prevent some disabled workers from remaining in employment altogether.
‘At a time when the government wants to get people working, disabled workers report that access to suitable home-working roles can be the difference between working or not working,’ she said.
The research has implications for HR professionals navigating return-to-office decisions. For neurodivergent employees and those with disabilities, remote working is frequently a practical requirement. Blanket return-to-office mandates may constitute a failure to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act.
A recent House of Lords report called on ministers to prioritise remote and hybrid working as a route to improving disabled employment rates.
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