Remote Work Decline Risks Excluding Disabled Workers
A two-year research project has highlighted concerns that a reduction in remote work opportunities, particularly for individuals requiring homeworking such as disabled people, may hinder government efforts to reduce unemployment.
According to a survey conducted by Lancaster University researchers involving working-age disabled individuals, over 80% of respondents indicated that access to homeworking was essential or very important when seeking new employment.
Nearly half (46%) of participants in the Inclusive Remote and Hybrid Working Study expressed a preference to work remotely full-time. Disabled women and disabled carers were especially likely to desire fully remote work arrangements.
The study revealed a disconnect between the needs of disabled job seekers and current employer trends, which show a reduction in hybrid and remote working options.
Job Vacancy Data Shows Decline in Remote Roles
Analysis of job vacancy data from Adzuna indicated a decrease in remote job opportunities. For the financial year 2024-25, only 4.3% of job adverts on Adzuna were fully remote, representing one in 23 vacancies. This figure is approximately half of the 8.7% recorded during the pandemic peak in 2020-21.
The report noted,
“Growth in the availability of hybrid jobs appears to have stalled, with only one in seven (13.5%) job vacancies offering hybrid work in 2024-25.”
Rising Unemployment Among Disabled People
These findings align with official employment statistics released earlier in the week for the three months ending December, which showed that 9.2% of disabled people were unemployed—about one in eleven—double the 4.4% average unemployment rate.
The Office for National Statistics reported 547,000 unemployed disabled individuals, an increase of 110,000 compared to the same period in 2024.
The Work Foundation, a thinktank based at Lancaster University that coordinated the remote-working project with Manchester Metropolitan University, stated,
“Unemployment has risen across the UK economy in the last 12 months, but analysis indicates that the rate has risen far more quickly for disabled people than non-disabled people.”
Largest UK Study on Disabled Workers’ Remote Work Experiences
Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the study is the largest of its kind in the UK, involving interviews with over 1,200 disabled individuals regarding their experiences with remote and hybrid work.
The report found that although remote and hybrid work remain more prevalent than before the pandemic, the proportion of fully remote roles has declined and the growth rate of hybrid jobs has slowed.
Among fully remote disabled workers, 64% reported that their work pattern positively impacted their physical health, compared to 31% of those working remotely less than half the time.
Additionally, 25% of respondents desired hybrid working with four days at home per week, while 27% preferred three days or fewer. Only 1.6% wished to cease working from home altogether.
Personal Impact of Remote Work
One participant, Vera, a healthcare company employee in London in her 20s, shared her experience. Following stem cell treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), she was unable to return to a frontline role and now works from home.
“Remote work has made it possible for me to stay in employment – without it I couldn’t work,”Vera said.
“While I’ve reduced my hours to four days a week, working from home means I can manage cognitive fatigue and rest during lunch breaks so I can stay productive.
“But I feel stuck, as there are so few remote-only roles. These are realistically the only roles I can apply for if I want to keep working and progress in my career.”
A recent study by the Work Foundation and the MS Society found that nearly half (47%) of people with MS seek jobs with minimal or no travel requirements.
Researcher Highlights Benefits and Challenges
Lead researcher Paula Holland commented,
“The increased availability of remote and hybrid working since before the pandemic has improved many disabled people’s experience of work. Our findings indicate disabled employees gain significant benefits including improved mental and physical health, better work-life balance and increased productivity.
“However, companies mandating people to return to the office have seen remote-only opportunities plummet and this could prevent some disabled workers from returning and staying in work. 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.”
Calls for Policy Action
A recent House of Lords report has urged government ministers to prioritise remote and hybrid working to enhance employment opportunities for disabled people.
