SINGAPORE - The call to give the disabled a fair chance at being employed is being heeded by more companies - helped in part by the tight labour situation here.
The net result is that employers in Singapore are becoming increasingly open to hiring staff with disabilities, with placement organisations reporting an increase in successful placements.
Bizlink, a charitable organisation which aims to help people with disabilities to achieve independence, told BT that from January to May this year, it has seen a 9 per cent year-on-year increase in placement numbers for people with disabilities (PWDs) in the open employment market.
This upward trend can be attributed to a multitude of factors, including the tightening of foreign labour and greater awareness of the Open Door Fund (ODF) for hiring PWDs, according to Bizlink's senior manager for corporate communications and community engagement, Rebecca Tan.
Although there are no official figures showing the total number of disabled employed in Singapore, there are several indicators that show that more employers are recruiting them.
Over at the Society for the Physically Disabled, placement figures have crept up over the past few years. The ODF, which supports companies for making their workplaces more inclusive towards PWDs through the Apprenticeship Programme and Job Redesign project, has been tapped by 201 firms since it started in 2007. From April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2012, a total of 72 new companies have committed to hiring the disabled. This represents a 44 per cent increase as compared to the 2010 period, according to figures released by the Singapore National Employers Federation.
Other than the ODF, the government has also stepped up its support for the employment of the disabled through the Special Employment Credit and Workfare Income Supplement schemes. The former provides the employer with a credit of 16 per cent of the disabled employee's wages while the latter tops up the wages of workers from special education schools.
There is also an Assistive Technology Fund which helps disabled students and employees purchase assistive technology devices for education and work purposes.
The response has been positive.
Restaurant chain Han's, which has about 70 PWDs in its workforce, said that the company's culture is to take care of people who are not so fortunate. Said managing director Han Choon Fook: "Our government encourages the local enterprises not to depend on foreign workers. So we got to help the local people, including the disabled ones. I fully support this kind of policy."
His sentiment was shared by Sean Flynn, CEO of Brotzeit, a German bar and restaurant. Mr Flynn said that "hiring PWDs makes sense for us on a few levels, but most particularly because it helps us to address the very tight labour market that exists in Singapore". In addition, hiring the PWDs is an opportunity to do something worthwhile for the community, he explained.
The companies shared many positive stories about the PWDs, whom they regard to be as productive as any other employee. Some of these PWDs even won awards.
Over at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, its human resources director Chua Pek Kim only had good things to say about wheelchair-bound admissions assistant Lim Lin Li, who was recently presented a Silver Award at the Singapore Health Quality Service Awards 2012 in recognition of her efforts and excellent service levels.
Companies usually work with several organisations to hire disabled workers. These organisations include Bizlink and the Society for the Physically Handicap. Schools such as the Metta School, which is a special education school for students with mild intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorders, also works with companies such as Crowne Plaza Changi Airport to offer internships for their students who can get converted to full-time employment if they perform well.
During the internship, students from the school are offered both classroom learning and on-the-job training in their kitchen, bakery and housekeeping divisions.
For some employers, foreign labour curbs and government incentives are not key factors in hiring PWDs, which they see as part of their corporate social responsibility. One even felt there is no need for monetary incentives by the government.
"Why do we need monetary incentives here?" asked Rajoo Amurdalingam, managing director of The National Forwarder (Singapore) Pte Ltd, which hired three PWDs in its workforce. He suggested that it would be more helpful if the government can expand matching services between employers and PWDs. Singapore Environment Council's executive director Jose Raymond said that "employers must provide equal opportunities to all workers, regardless of the government's policy on foreign labour. Less abled people deserve opportunities too and they too have a huge part to play in the progress and development of Singapore".
"While special credits are always good for employers to consider hiring less abled workers, I believe very strongly that this should not be the only lever for companies to employ less abled workers. Employers must, as much as possible, provide equal opportunities to all workers." When asked what else the government can do to help PWDs, Mr Raymond said that the government can employ more less abled workers to send a strong signal for everyone to follow.
A check by BT revealed that the Public Service does not centrally track the number of employees with disabilities. Public sector recruitment is based on individual merit, through fair and open competition, Public Service Division said in an email reply.
