Sheffield has a record high for the employment gap for adults with learning disabilities

And while UK employment is at its highest level, charity Mencap says employment rates for people with learning disabilities continue to be hampered as they “face many barriers”.

The latest Public Health England data compares the percentage of working age people with learning disabilities who are in paid employment with that for the population as a whole.

In Sheffield, 74.6 per cent of the working age population was in employment in 2018-19, while the figure stood at just 4.2 per cent for adults with a learning disability – that is a gap of 70.4 percentage points, the widest since comparable records began in 2011-12.

The figures cover people aged 18 to 64 with learning disabilities who were known to Sheffield Council during the period.

The gap in Sheffield was slightly wider than that across England where, last year it hit a record 69.7 percentage points.

It was also bigger than the figure for Yorkshire and the Humber as a whole, which stood at 68 percentage points.

Mark Capper, Mencap head of development, called the national figures “really disappointing”, adding that less than 6 per cent of people with a learning disability known to their council are doing paid work.

He said: “Despite the general population’s employment rate rising over the years, the employment rate for people with a learning disability has remained stubbornly low.

“People with a learning disability can work and want to work, and with the right support they can make really fantastic employees. But they face many barriers, often falling at the first hurdle as a result of inaccessible application forms.”

Mr Capper said small and reasonable adjustments in the workplace could help them become committed members of the workforce.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “Levelling up the playing field for disabled people is a priority for this Government and that's why later this year we'll launch a national strategy to set out how we can better support them so they have equal access to all spheres of life."