Rate of claimants / beneficiaries of incapacity benefit / severe disablement allowance with mental or behavioural disorders, per 1,000 working age population, for all people, for the years 2005 to 2007.
This indicator is a proxy measure of levels of severe mental illness in the community and a direct measure of socio-economic disadvantage in those ‘not in work’ because of mental illness. Severe mental illness severely restricts the capacity to fully participate in society and in particular the employment market. Unemployment rates are high amongst people with severe mental illness. In the UK, unemployment rates of 60-100% have been reported. These high rates not only reflect the disability caused by severe mental illness, but also reflect discrimination (unemployment rates are higher than in other disabled groups) and the low priority given to employment by psychiatric services. People with long-term psychiatric disabilities are even less likely to be in employment than those with long term physical disabilities. Despite high unemployment rates amongst the severely mentally ill, surveys have consistently shown that most want to work. These low rates of employment should be considered against the facts that at least 30-40% of people who are significantly disabled by enduring mental illness are capable of holding down a job. More than 900,000 adults in England claim sickness & disability benefits for mental health conditions. This group is now larger than the total number of unemployed people claiming Jobseeker’s allowance in England. Increasing the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and employment, education or training is currently a priority action, as set out in the PSA Delivery Agreement 16 in the HM Treasury Group Strategic Objectives 2008–2011.
This indicator has been discontinued and so there will be no further updates.
Legacy unique identifier: P01045