People with disabilities in New York are struggling with a higher unemployment rate than the national average, a report released Wednesday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office found.

Joblessness soared in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for people with disabilities, the unemployment picture was far worse and they are yet to fully recover in the three years since the start of the public health crisis, DiNapoli's report found.

“For people living with disabilities, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many challenges, but also presented new opportunities through increased remote work,” DiNapoli said. “New York needs to address barriers to equal employment and invest in services and supports that will help level the playing field for disabled New Yorkers in the workplace.”

New York's unemployment rate reached 13.9% for people with disabilities in 2020, compared to 13.4% nationally. In 2022, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities dropped to 8.2% across the country. In New York, the rate stood at 11.9%, DiNapoli said.

The report comes as New York has sought to bolster employment for people with disabilities, including a preferred source contracting program and the creation of a post within state government for people with disabilities, the chief disability officer.

The number of working-age people with disabilities between 2020 and 2022 grew by 14.4%, faster than the rest of the country at 10.9%.