June 2023

Unemployment Rate Dropping

In a recent column for Florida Politics, guest author Brent McNeal, director of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) at the Florida Department of Education, talked about the all-time low unemployment rate for people with disabilities. Check out the article to learn more about VR and the services they offer Florida businesses.

Florida Politics Guest Article

Jacksonville Region Snapshot

While the number of Floridians with a disability who are employed continues to increase each year, there is room for improvement. The heat map below shows the number by county of Floridians with a disability who are working.

The darker areas of the heat map illustrate where these numbers are greatest and the information below shows the number of employed and unemployed persons with disabilities in each county listed.

In the Jacksonville region:

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Upskilling Important to Strengthening Workforce

A recent article highlighted a McKinsey report that shows a lack of career development and advancement is the top reason for leaving a job.

Also noted was a study by PwC that showed only 40% of employees say their company is upskilling. Whether responding to new technologies, striving to remain globally competitive, or concentrating on worker retention, maintaining a strong training program is vital to an organization's long term success.

Reskilling and upskilling are also crucial when employing workers with disabilities. A new study The Able Trust will be releasing recommends upskilling to help job seekers with disabilities working in entry level positions move from these transition occupations to destination occupations that tend to pay a higher wage.

This study also analyzes industries where Floridians with disabilities are currently employed; which industries have an under-representation of persons with disabilities; and which industries are growing in Florida.

As The Able Trust works to expand disability employment in Florida, we are excited to share this new information. We will release this report later this summer and we are confident it will be an important resource for employers and industry leaders, career service providers and employment counselors across Florida.

We will use the results from this study to identify new career paths for individuals with disabilities. We look forward to working with those industries the report identifies as representing expanded career opportunities and employers who would like to expand their workforce to include Floridians with disabilities.

Please feel free to contact me at Allison@abletrust.org if you have questions about disability inclusion.

Allison Chase

President & CEO

STORIES OF DISABILITY INCLUSION

Companies Are Drastically Underestimating How

Many of Their Employees Have Disabilities

Most companies report that their workforce includes relatively few employees with disabilities: just 4% to 7% on average. But in a major survey by Boston Consulting Group of nearly 28,000 employees in 16 countries (across all regions and various industries), some 25% of people said they have a disability or health condition that limits a major life activity.

Learn More

Your support ensures Floridians with disabilities have opportunities to gain meaningful employment.

To make your tax-deductible donation to The Able Trust,

CLICK HERE.

Forward this newsletter to other colleagues, and business and community leaders who are interested in disability employment.

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our mailing list.

We welcome the opportunity to answer your questions about disability employment. Invite us to speak at your upcoming board meeting, conference or webinar.

CLICK HERE to fill out our

Speaker Request form.

The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Endowment Foundation for Vocational Rehabilitation, is a 501(c)(3) public charity established by the Florida Legislature in 1990 as a direct support organization for the

Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Its mission is to be a key leader in providing

Floridians with disabilities opportunities for successful employment.

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