Employment Schemes: Disability

In 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK

The department also published the Disability Confident Employer Renewal Research that summarises the reasons why employers did not renew membership of the Disability Confident scheme in 2022, including some qualitative evidence on the scheme’s impact on attracting and recruiting staff with disabilities and/or organisational culture (but not retention) for some employers. This small scale qualitative research with employers can be accessed at Disability Confident Employer Renewal Research - GOV.UK

The Disability Confident scheme is well-established and has huge potential, but it needs reform to deliver meaningful change. My officials and I have been working with a wide range of stakeholders, including disabled people and employers, to explore potential reforms. On 15 January 2026 I announced more details about our plans to reform the scheme Disability Confident scheme overhauled to boost workplace standards for disabled people - GOV.UK.

We are planning a proportionate assessment of the different strands of the upcoming reforms: this is likely to include qualitative interviews to get insights from employers, conducting short surveys, and gathering feedback on specific processes and products to iteratively improve and adapt.