TWO out of five disabled workers have been pushed into financial hardship over the last year after their living standards were hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic, a report published today reveals.

The TUC found that disabled workers were twice as likely to have had to visit a foodbank during the pandemic than workers without disabilities, and were more likely to say that they were concerned about losing their jobs.

The findings are based on a survey of more than 2,100 adults, carried out by trade union research group Britain Thinks.

The TUC said its analysis also showed that non-disabled workers earn £1.90 an hour more on average than disabled employees — £3,458 more a year based on a 35-hour week — while disabled women face an even bigger pay gap.

Campaign and direct action group Disabled People Against Cuts said the report further exposed the government’s failure to give disabled people the promised help that they needed.

Founder Linda Burnip said: “None of this comes as a surprise.

“Poverty has increased amongst disabled people, both in work and in receipt of legacy benefits, as their living costs have skyrocketed.

“Coupled with the unprecedented crisis in recruitment of support workers to enable disabled people to take part in society, this research shows how the government’s supposed target to get one million disabled people into sustained employment by 2027 is a joke.”

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “As we saw with the last financial crisis, disabled people are all too often first in line for redundancy, and those who keep hold of their jobs face a yawning pay gap. 

“Disabled people deserve much better. We need mandatory disability pay gap reporting to shine a light on poor workplace practices that fuel inequality at work.

“Without this, millions of disabled workers will be consigned to years of lower pay and in-work poverty.”

Louise Rubin, head of policy at disability equality charity Scope, said: “The pandemic has turned up the financial screw on disabled people.

“We know that life costs more if you are disabled, and it’s completely unacceptable that disabled people continue to be underpaid and undervalued.”