Is AI Actually Tripling Employment for People with Disabilities?
By Susan Cali
Published March 30, 2021
According to Gartner’s Top Strategic Predictions for 2020 and Beyond published in late-2019, using artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies would enhance accessibility at work, which would in turn, increase employment rates for individuals with disabilities. They predicted the number of people with disabilities in the labor force would triple by 2023 due to new technologies that reduce accessibility obstacles. With the rate of active labor force participants with disabilities standing at only 19.3% in the United States, this left the majority of these candidates, many of which have a plethora of untapped talent, available for hire.
Unfortunately, due to the effect the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic has had on employment rates, it is difficult to ascertain whether this prediction of tripling employment would have been accurate. So far, however, that prediction is not on track.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, the employment rate for people with disabilities fell to 17.9% from 19.3% [...]