Disabled workers are helping our business grow

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 777,000 economically inactive adults in Scotland last year.

About a quarter of a million were classed as disabled or long-term sick.

However, about 50,000 of those people were looking for a job.

Moving people off welfare and into employment is a challenge governments have faced for years.

The new UK government said getting disabled people into high-quality jobs is part of its plan for growth.

There is some evidence that Scotland’s disability employment gap has reduced recently, although it is still the highest in the UK.

But there are suggestions that this is because people who are already in work are reporting disabilities such as mental health issues, ADHD and autism.

Chirsty McFadyen, from the Fraser of Allander Institute, said the biggest challenge is getting people with more complex needs into work.

“That’s when the government is going to have to start really thinking about how to get disabled people who are out of work into work,” she added.

The UK government said it would devolve “more power to local areas so disabled people can benefit from joined-up work, health and skills support”.

A spokesperson added it will also enshrine in law “the full right to equal pay for disabled people to help close disability pay gaps”.