Evidence review: Employment of deaf people and people with hearing loss in the UK

Executive summary

This section presents the results of a rapid review of the evidence relating to employment of deaf people and people with hearing loss.

We reviewed 4,898 records identified through a primary database search (Web of Science) and a grey literature search designed with input from RNID subject experts
We also conducted a supplementary search, which identified 1,778 possible additional records
In total, there are 28 pieces of published literature and 14 pieces of grey literature included in this review

Findings

This review found that evidence about the employment of deaf people and people with hearing loss in the UK is severely limited. However, it is clear that there is an urgent need to address employment gaps and improve workplace inclusion:

56% of people in England, Wales and Scotland who use British Sign Language (BSL) as their main language are economically inactive, compared to 33% of people who use English (or Welsh if in Wales) [1]
People with hearing loss are less likely to be employed, and have lower average weekly household incomes [2]
34% of deaf people had experienced bullying or “acts of unkindness” specifically related to being deaf [3]

Existing research does however strongly suggest that there are multiple areas affecting whether deaf people and people with hearing loss are able to work and progress their careers in the same way as hearing colleagues:

Deaf awareness and access to BSL interpretation in the workplace
Social barriers such as attitudes from managers and colleagues, and exclusionary policies and systems
Physical barriers related to the work environment
Access to reasonable adjustments and workplace support, such as the Access to Work scheme

The Access to Work scheme is a key part of UK employment support, paying for adjustments to help disabled people get into or stay in work. When it works well, Access to Work is “transformative”, helping people to stay and succeed in work. However, there are serious problems which affect people’s ability to work and progress their careers.

The longest delays experienced were over 12 months [4][5]
37% of BSL users surveyed who renewed their award said they had their grant amended, despite no change in their circumstances. This left many being unable to cover essential support at work, such as BSL interpreters, which cannot be replaced by technology or other solutions [4].
53% of BSL users surveyed had to adapt or change their work due to award caps [4]

Research gaps

There is a clear need for robust research about the employment of deaf people and people with hearing loss in general. We also identified some specific areas that should be considered for future research:

The experiences of young people transitioning from education to employment
How to support people who are currently economically inactive, especially those furthest from the labour market
Effective interventions to address barriers to equitable employment opportunities
Intersectional research exploring how characteristics such as gender, race or ethnicity, or having multiple disabilities or long-term conditions affect employment

Policy context

Employers are legally required under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees, so they are not at a disadvantage.

Most legislation and rights are reserved to the UK government, but Scotland and Wales both deliver their own employability programmes to support people into work.

The Access to Work scheme is operated centrally across England, Scotland and Wales, while Northern Ireland administers separate disability employment support.

Read our employment policy statement