Singapore
Singapore
Speaking at the biennial Inclusive Business Forum 2022 organised by SG Enable, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also said companies are increasingly seeing the “good business sense” in being disability-inclusive.
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong giving the opening address at the Inclusive Business Forum 2022. (Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information)
SINGAPORE: The Government’s Forward Singapore exercise will continue to consider how to provide better care and support for people with disabilities (PWDs) and to ensure a more inclusive society, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (Aug 25).
Mr Wong, who is also Minister of Finance, also called on companies to do more to be disability-inclusive while tapping on the Government’s assistance.
Forward Singapore is a year-long exercise which aims to review and refresh Singapore’s social compact and set out a roadmap for the next decade and beyond.
He was speaking at the biennial Inclusive Business Forum 2022 organised by SG Enable, an agency dedicated to enabling persons with disabilities.
This year’s forum, held at The Theatre at Mediacorp for its fourth edition, explored the potential for organisations to tap on people with disabilities as a talent pool against a backdrop of global talent shortage.
Themed “The Future of Work: Building Business Resilience and Growth”, the forum will have two panel discussions where business leaders and PWDs will discuss the benefits of inclusion within the workplace.
Opening the event, Mr Wong said that Singapore’s success did not just rely on economic growth, but also how inclusive it was as a society.
He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had helped paved the way for a more inclusive work environment. Employers were prepared to hire PWDs to fill in manpower gaps in a tight labour market.
Firms made greater use of technology to facilitate work, which helped open employers to working with assistive technologies, such as speech recognition software. These could help PWDs function in the workplace. Flexible work arrangements also aided in the employment of PWDs.
But more can be done, he said.
“We have to do more to ensure everyone can participate fully in the progress of our nation. And for persons with disabilities, we will have to build on what we have achieved so far.”
Mr Wong cited the Enabling Masterplan 2030 released last week, where the Government set a target of achieving an employment rate of 40 per cent for PWDs, an increase from the 30 per cent currently.
To support the employability of PWDs, the Government already offsets up to 20 per cent of their wages through the Enabling Employment Credit and defrays up to 90 per cent of the cost of workplace modifications and equipment to help companies accommodate PWDs’ unique needs.
Firms play the most important role, Mr Wong noted. More companies are being accredited with the Enabling mark, an SG Enable accreditation that recognises organisations for their best practices and outcomes in disability-inclusive employment.
Mr Wong named Microsoft, Thong Siek Food Industry and VITAL, a government agency under the Ministry of Finance, as a few examples.
“If we want to see a sustainable improvement in the employment outcomes of persons with disabilities, businesses must see it in their interest to hire such people – not out of charity, not out of social good alone, but because businesses truly believe in the benefits of disability-inclusive hiring,” he said.
Employers were increasingly seeing the “good business sense” of being disability-inclusive, according to Mr Wong.
He shared results of a study commissioned by SG Enable which showed that employees working in companies with disability-inclusive practices reported a greater sense of purpose, leading to higher retention rates among existing employees.
These firms also showed a greater focus on customer needs, and a more collaborative and innovative culture, as employees became more empathetic and more open to discussing new ideas, Mr Wong said.
Companies who were worried about the challenges of disability-inclusive hiring could consider starting with small-scale internship programmes or with a few full-time hires, such as Microsoft and Thong Siek did, he added.
Firms may also tap on SG Enable, from job matching and training to job redesign and grant support.
“Ultimately, persons with disabilities do want to work and if given the chance, have many valuable skills to offer. And as a society we owe it to them to give them this opportunity. So let’s all do our part to get 40 per cent of persons with disabilities employed by 2030,” said Mr Wong.
This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp's partners.
Copyright© Mediacorp 2022. Mediacorp Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
We know it’s a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with CNA to be fast, secure and the best it can possibly be.
To continue, upgrade to a supported browser or, for the finest experience, download the mobile app.
Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us