Research
Disability Employment: 2023 Annual Update

In this latest report, The Able Trust provides a data update to Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, employers, partners, the non-profit community, and others who are engaged in helping Floridians with a disability find meaningful employment. In addition to showing how employment of Floridians with disabilities has increased over the last five years, the 2023 Annual Update also includes the following updates on Floridians with disabilities:
- National and county level population numbers,
- Employment data including information on full and part-time work,
- Occupational and industry concentrations, and
- Educational attainment.
The Benefits of Increasing the Labor Force Participation Rate for People with Disabilities

For more than 40 years, there has been a workforce participation gap of approximately 40 percentage points between persons with disabilities and the general population without disabilities. The Able Trust is working to close this gap through a new initiative, Inclusive Florida: Powered by The Able Trust.
As we work to improve our understanding of disability employment in Florida, we are releasing a new report, The Benefits of Increasing the Labor Force Participation Rate for People with Disabilities. This report calculates the economic impact of increasing Florida’s labor force participation rate for people with disabilities.
Solving Florida's Labor Shortage: The Hidden Solution

Solving Florida’s Labor Shortage: The Hidden Solution provides an update to a 2019 report The Able Trust released
in partnership with the Florida Chamber Foundation. In our ongoing efforts to provide meaningful data and research,
we are releasing this new report to show changes in the employment of persons with disabilities.
Inclusive Florida: Powered by the Able Trust
The Able Trust supports Florida’s system of employing Floridians with disabilities — whether their first job or their last — by being the thought leader for disability workforce inclusion. A persistent workforce participation gap of more than 40 percent exists between individuals with disabilities and those without a disability. The Able Trust is working to close this gap through a new initiative — Inclusive Florida: Powered by The Able Trust. This program is a unique combination of research, outreach, and capacity building that will help strengthen our current system to ensure more Floridians with disabilities are able to enter the job market. For information, click here.
Research and Reports
In addition to our current research, below are links to additional research about the employment of individuals with disabilities.
Highlights of The Able Trust’s 2020 Disability Inclusion and Employment Trends Survey
The SHRM Foundation and Workplace Initiative’s, Employing Abilities @Work – 2019 Research Report
NOD 2019 Disability Benchmarks
Governor’s Commission on Jobs for Floridians with Disabilities: 2012 Report
A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Employment of People with Disabilities in Florida (1999)