The number of people with a disability participating in the workforce has fallen in the past 20 years, new figures show.

In 1993, 55 per cent of Australians with a disability were employed, compared to 77 per cent of people without a disability, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released to coincide with the International Day of People with Disability.

But that figure dropped to 53 per cent last year, with 83 per cent of people without a disability participating in the workforce.

About 18 per cent of Australians have a disability, but Australia ranks almost at the bottom for workforce participation of the disabled among OECD nations.

Peter Flynn, 44, worked as a jeweller for many years before being diagnosed with bipolar after a relationship breakdown in his early 30s.

He now works as a groundsman and horticulturalist in Sydney.

"The outdoor side of it really agrees with me," Mr Flynn said.

"It just gets you out - you are not stuck at home."

Mr Flynn says after his breakdown, he was not able to go back into the workforce, but that that is slowly changing.

"I get a lot out of what I do. I've propagated a lot of plants up here," he said.

Mr Flynn was guided back into the workforce by non-profit group House With No Steps, which supports people with a disability by getting them into jobs.

The group today launched a new venture aimed at getting young school-leavers with a disability into work after they graduate.

A 2011 study by Access Economics found that closing the gap in labour market participation between people with a disability and those without by a third would add $43 billion to the nation's GDP over the next decade.

The report said such a move would be achievable, and that Australia should push employment levels for people with a disability to 64 per cent, a level already surpassed by New Zealand.

Meanwhile, the Australia Council for the Arts today announced new funding specifically for artists with a disability, with between 10 and 20 new projects set to be funded from next year.