The employment situation for Americans with disabilities is steady even as overall hiring across the nation has slowed, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The unemployment rate for those with disabilities dipped just slightly to 10.7 percent last month, the agency said Friday in its monthly employment report. That’s down from 10.8 percent the month prior.

Figures show that more people with disabilities are on the job and the participation rate for this population is up by more than 1 percent over the same time last year.

At the same time, the economy as a whole added just 160,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate for the general population remained unchanged at 5 percent, the Labor Department said.

Federal officials began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends among this population, so statistics for this group are not seasonally adjusted.

Data on people with disabilities covers those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

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