Mississippi News
Financial stability for those with disabilities
June 3, 2022June 3, 2022
Bob Bakken
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ABLE savings accounts, david mcrae, disabilities, financial stability, mississippi, unemployment
State treasurer promotes the benefits of the ABLE savings account program
By Treasurer David McRae
The job market has largely recovered from high, COVID-era unemployment, albeit not for everyone. Americans without disabilities have been able to return to the workforce en masse, allowing the national unemployment rate to fall to 3.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April survey. But those with disabilities have faced a more difficult road.
Today, the unemployment rate for disabled Americans rests at 8.3 percent, more than twice the national average for their able-bodied counterparts. There are a multitude of reasons for this. First, the windows where most of us have seen “Help Wanted” signs (in restaurants and retail stores) are often challenging places for those with disabilities to work. In some cases, they require longer hours and in others, greater physical demands. Regardless, the sectors of our economy that need the most help right now aren’t necessarily available to Mississippians with disabilities.
Beyond that, many disabled Americans must work part time in order to protect [...]