LONDON Jul.27—— The changing attitudes of UK businesses towards disabled people have been hailed. Over the past year the number of disabled people in work has increased by 238,000 – the equivalent of around 650 more every day.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, thanked employers for helping to strengthen and diversify the labour market as well as giving hundreds of thousands more disabled people the chance to pursue their career ambitions.

Iain Duncan Smith said:“In total, 3.2 million disabled people are now in work – but the government is committed to increasing this by around a further one million as part of its ambition to halve the gap between the employment rates of disabled people and the wider population.

“The aim of Disability Confident is to work with employers to remove barriers, increase understanding and ensure that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential in the workplace.”

Marks and Spencer is one of the latest major firms to join. In total, 376 UK employers now support the campaign, including Sainsbury’s, Barclays and BT.

Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson, challenged other businesses to consider the boost that untapped disabled talent could bring to their workforce.