Employment (SDG 8)

Not unexpectedly, the rate of employment (calculated as the percentage of the working age population who are employed) is generally lower for persons with disabilities in Arab countries. Likewise, their rates of economic inactivity (calculated as the percentage of the working age population who are neither employed nor seeking employment) and unemployment (calculated as the percentage of economically active persons aged 15 or older who seek employment)[1] are higher.

In nine of the 10 countries for which data are available, the employment rate for persons with disabilities is no higher than 14 per cent for women and 34 per cent for men, and often much lower than that. Bahrain is an outlier on the high end, with an employment rate of 26.7 per cent for women with disabilities and 78.3 per cent for men with disabilities. The fact that the overall employment rate for females in the region is very low makes it hard to evaluate the different impacts of disability on the employment prospects of women and men.  

Figure 14: Employment rate among the population aged 15-64

Employment rate among the population aged 15-64: Bahrain: women with disabilities 26.7%, women without disabilities 43.8%, men with disabilities 78.3%, men without disabilities 88.1%. Egypt: women with disabilities 7.4%, women without disabilities 18.5%, men with disabilities 33.7%, men without disabilities 66.5%. Iraq: women with disabilities 3.7%, women without disabilities 8.5%, men with disabilities 32.8%, men without disabilities 63.0%. Jordan: women with disabilities 5.2%, women without disabilities 13.5%, men with disabilities 32.8%, men without disabilities 61.4%. Mauritania: women with disabilities 10.4%, women without disabilities 13.9%, men with disabilities 30.6%, men without disabilities 54.0%. Morocco: women with disabilities 6.7%, women without disabilities 15.9%, men with disabilities 25.3%, men without disabilities 71.8%. Oman: women with disabilities 3.5%, women without disabilities 16.5%, men with disabilities 16.3%, men without disabilities 57.6%. Palestine: women with disabilities 4.7%, women without disabilities 9.4%, men with disabilities 29.3%, men without disabilities 55.2%. Saudi Arabia: women with disabilities 2.7%, women without disabilities 13.1%, men with disabilities 25.7%, men without disabilities 59.4%. Yemen: women with disabilities 13.4%, women without disabilities 19.3%, men with disabilities 27.4%, men without disabilities 64.3%.

Source: Calculated from Arab Disability Statistics in Numbers 2017, based on data compiled and verified from National Statistics Offices (NSOs) from the following censuses and surveys: Bahrain Census 2010, Egypt Labor Force Survey (LFS) 2016, Iraq Poverty and Maternal Mortality Survey (I-PMM) 2013, Jordan Census 2015, Mauritania Census 2013, Morocco Census 2014, Oman Census 2010, Palestine Census 2007, Saudi Arabia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2016, Yemen Household Budget Survey (HBS) 2014.

The two reasons for non-employment are economic inactivity and unemployment. The rate of economic inactivity among women with disabilities is above 84 per cent in all countries for which data are available, reaching 95.4 per cent in Iraq. However, the rate for women without disabilities is not much lower, and in most countries women without disabilities are only around 1.1 times more likely than women with disabilities to be economically inactive. Among men with disabilities, the rate of economic inactivity varies between 50 and 70 per cent, apart from in Oman where it stands at 76.1 per cent. For men without disabilities, the rates are much lower, exceeding 30 per cent only in Saudi Arabia. Thus, in relative terms as well as measured in percentage points, the divergence between persons with and without disabilities is considerably more apparent within the male population. In Morocco, notably, the rate of economic inactivity is 3.9 times higher among men with disabilities (69.1 per cent) than among men without disabilities (17.9 per cent).

Figure 15: Economic inactivity rate among the population aged 15-64

Economic inactivity rate among the population aged 15-64: Egypt: women with disabilities 90.5%, women without disabilities 75.8%, men with disabilities 57.4%, men without disabilities 27.0%. Iraq: women with disabilities 95.4%, women without disabilities 89.9%, men with disabilities 55.8%, men without disabilities 24.2%. Jordan: women with disabilities 91.1%, women without disabilities 79.6%, men with disabilities 56.3%, men without disabilities 29.5%. Mauritania: women with disabilities 84.6%, women without disabilities 79.0%, men with disabilities 55.9%, men without disabilities 28.3%. Morocco: women with disabilities 90.1%, women without disabilities 77.4%, men with disabilities 69.1%, men without disabilities 17.9%. Oman: women with disabilities 94.1%, women without disabilities 73.2%, men with disabilities 76.1%, men without disabilities 28.6%. Palestine: women with disabilities 93.7%, women without disabilities 88.2%, men with disabilities 57.6%, men without disabilities 28.1%. Saudi Arabia: women with disabilities 89.7%, women without disabilities 80.6%, men with disabilities 51.5%, men without disabilities 33.2%. Yemen: women with disabilities 85.5%, women without disabilities 77.9%, men with disabilities 67.9%, men without disabilities 25.9%.

Source: Calculated from Arab Disability Statistics in Numbers 2017, based on data compiled and verified from National Statistics Offices (NSOs) from the following censuses and surveys: Egypt Labor Force Survey (LFS) 2016, Iraq Poverty and Maternal Mortality Survey (I-PMM) 2013, Jordan Census 2015, Mauritania Census 2013, Morocco Census 2014, Oman Census 2010, Palestine Census 2007, Saudi Arabia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2016, Yemen Household Budget Survey (HBS) 2014. 

Note: For Bahrain, the economic inactivity rate for persons aged 15-64 cannot be calculated due to insufficient data. The rate for the population aged 15+ is available in the country profile.

With a few exceptions, unemployment is higher among persons with disabilities of both genders (figure 16). The most extreme differences are in Saudi Arabia, where the unemployment rate for women with disabilities (75.3 per cent) is 2.3 times higher than the rate for women without disabilities (32.8 per cent), and the rate for men with disabilities (48.6 per cent) 4.2 times higher than the rate for men without disabilities (11.5 per cent). An outlier at the other end is Yemen, which has the lowest unemployment rates for women as well as for men with disabilities (5.8 and 13.7 per cent). The female rate, notably, is less than half of the one for women without disabilities (12.6 per cent). The rate for men with disabilities, meanwhile, is only marginally higher than the one for men without disabilities (12.9 per cent).

Figure 16: Unemployment rate among the population aged 15 and above

Unemployment rate among the population aged 15 and above: Bahrain: women with disabilities 8.6%, women without disabilities 3.6%, men with disabilities 1.2%, men without disabilities 0.4%. Egypt: women with disabilities 21.2%, women without disabilities 23.7%, men with disabilities 19.5%, men without disabilities 8.7%. Iraq: women with disabilities 21.8%, women without disabilities 16.2%, men with disabilities 25.3%, men without disabilities 16.9%. Jordan: women with disabilities 42.3%, women without disabilities 33.7%, men with disabilities 24.8%, men without disabilities 12.9%. Mauritania: women with disabilities 32.5%, women without disabilities 33.6%, men with disabilities 32.1%, men without disabilities 24.6%. Morocco: women with disabilities 33.5%, women without disabilities 29.5%, men with disabilities 16.6%, men without disabilities 12.4%. Oman: women with disabilities 38.9%, women without disabilities 38.5%, men with disabilities 30.0%, men without disabilities 19.1%. Palestine: women with disabilities 24.8%, women without disabilities 20.7%, men with disabilities 30.1%, men without disabilities 23.1%. Saudi Arabia: women with disabilities 75.3%, women without disabilities 32.8%, men with disabilities 48.6%, men without disabilities 11.5%. Yemen: women with disabilities 5.8%, women without disabilities 12.6%, men with disabilities 13.7%, men without disabilities 12.9%.

Source: Calculated from Arab Disability Statistics in Numbers 2017, based on data compiled and verified from National Statistics Offices (NSOs) from the following censuses and surveys: Bahrain Census 2010, Egypt Labor Force Survey (LFS) 2016, Iraq Poverty and Maternal Mortality Survey (I-PMM) 2013, Jordan Census 2015, Mauritania Census 2013, Morocco Census 2014, Oman Census 2010, Palestine Census 2007, Saudi Arabia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2016, Yemen Household Budget Survey (HBS) 2014.

Unlike with indicators of education, it cannot be established that women with disabilities in rural areas are consistently the most disadvantaged group in the area of employment. In several countries, the unemployment rates for persons with disabilities are higher in urban areas than in rural ones. In Palestine and Yemen, women with disabilities in urban areas have that lowest levels of employment and the highest levels of economic inactivity. In Palestine, the unemployment rate among women with disabilities is almost three times higher in urban areas (29 per cent) than in rural ones (10.7 per cent), which could indicate that women with disabilities in urban areas, rather than in rural areas, are especially marginalized. In Morocco, similarly, the unemployment rate among men with disabilities is higher in urban areas (22 per cent) than in rural ones (12 per cent).

However, unemployment in these countries is higher overall in urban areas and cannot necessarily be assumed to indicate vulnerability. It should equally be remembered that employment is not a perfect proxy for well-being. On the contrary, unemployment in the Arab region is generally most prevalent among the young urban middle class, whereas the poorest simply cannot afford to be unemployed. Rather, they are compelled to perform any kind of work that they can find, even if it is in the informal economy and generates only extremely low revenues. However, in some Arab countries, such as Jordan and Oman, unemployment is higher in rural areas, including for persons with disabilities. Interpreting this data is thus extremely difficult, and complementary qualitative research would be necessary to better understand the situation of persons with disabilities in the labour market.

Many countries in the region have instituted employment quota systems for persons with disabilities in both the public and private sectors. Despite the existence of enabling legislation, its impact is limited due to lack of enforcement and inadequate complementary interventions.[2] As discussed above, low literacy and educational levels among persons with disabilities need to be tackled to ensure that persons with disabilities have the necessary skills to enter the labor market. In some countries, the social assistance framework and insurance schemes tie disability benefits to the inability to work, potentially disincentivizing labour force participation.[3] Other barriers to employment include employers’ discriminatory attitudes and lack of accommodation at the work place.[4] Educating companies on the cost and benefit of providing reasonable accommodation for disability - such as accessibility of facilities, adaptive training materials and modified work schedules - can reduce their fears and encourage them to recruit and retain persons with disabilities.

Similar to education, it is critical to remember that employment rates do not reveal whether jobs held by persons with disabilities are decent, as called for by Article 27 of the Convention and SDG 8. Data directly relating to pay and social insurance coverage is not available, but analysis of related indicators, such as type of employment, suggests that persons with disabilities are more likely than persons without disability to work in the informal economy.[5]


[1] The ILO recommends that all three rates be measured among the population aged 15 or older. However, for this purpose, the age span 15-64 has been used for employment and economic inactivity since the overrepresentation of persons with disabilities among older persons, who are overall considerably less likely to be employed or economically active, would have rendered the comparison between persons with and without disabilities less meaningful. The same is not true concerning unemployment, since this is measured only among the economically active population, so the method recommended by the ILO has been used. 

[2] ESCWA, 2017, p. 36.

[3] ESCWA, 2017, p. 34.

[4] World Health Organization and World Bank, 2011, pp. 238-249.

[5] ESCWA, 2017, pp. 34-36.