Disabled workers in the UK earn £2,730 a year less than non-disabled workers, according to a new report published by the Trades Union Congress.

In 2017 average hourly pay for disabled workers was £9.90, compared to £11.40 for non-disabled workers, a disability pay gap of £1.50 an hour and £2,730 a year. The disability pay gap has now reached 15% which is its highest level since 2013 when the government began publishing comparable data using the 2010 Equality Act definition of disability.

Other key findings from the report showed that disabled workers are more likely to work in lower-paid occupations than non-disabled workers. Fewer disabled people have higher levels of education which may make it harder to get jobs with higher rates of pay. But even when disabled workers have the same level of education a pay gap remains.

Meanwhile, disabled women face a larger pay gap than disabled men. Compared to non-disabled men, the pay gap is 13% for disabled men and 22% for disabled women. TUC’s report also found that more disabled workers are part-time (36.4%) than non-disabled workers (23.4%), which partly accounts for the gap.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady commented, “New rules to make bosses reveal gender pay gaps have been successful at shining a light on the problem. We’d like the government to consider a similar law requiring employers to publish their disability pay gap, along with the steps they will take to close it.