Disability/Employment
Contents
- 1 Overview & Synopsis
- 2 Key Statistics & Figures
- 3 Theory of Change
- 4 Areas of Needs
- 5 Discussion on Employment Quota
Overview & Synopsis
Singapore’s PWD employment rate is at among the lowest in developed societies.
Knowledge Gaps
There is currently no representative statistic for number of disabled people in Singapore → to watch 2020 population census (n = 150,000).
There is no knowledge of retention rates/duration of disabled people in their various jobs.
Policy Advocacy
Actionable Areas
Key Statistics & Figures
Numbers of PWDs who can potentially enter workforce
Close to 176,000 disabled people are of working age.
Employment Rate of PWDs
According to The Straits Times, five in 100 disabled people are estimated to be employed.
The Government has noted that three in 10 PWDs aged 15 to 64 are in employment.
Breakdown of employment rates in the group:
- 27.6 per cent for those aged 15 to 39
- 37.8 per cent for those between 40 and 49
- 26.1 per cent for those between 50 and 64
- 5.9 per cent for those who are 65 and older.
The sectors employing most of these people are community, social and personal services, food services, administrative and support services, and manufacturing. Together, they account for more than half of workers with disabilities.[1]
Persons with disabilities comprised about 0.55% of the resident labour force. Most go into hospitality, F&B, wholesale and retail/admin support, with a median monthly income of $1,000 - $2,800.
- SG Enable has placed more than 1,200 PWDs in jobs within the past three years, in the retail, F&B, IT and other sectors.
- PWDs comprise 0.55% of the resident labour force. Median monthly gross wage ranged from $1,000 to $2,800.
- According to MOM data, more than 25% of PWDs aged 15 to 64 are employed
- The sectors employing most of these people are community, social and personal services, food services, administrative and support services, and manufacturing. Together, they account for more than half of workers with disabilities.
- 27.6 per cent of PWDs are employed, for those aged 15 to 39
- 37.8 per cent for those between 40 and 49
- 26.1 per cent for those between 50 and 64
- 5.9 per cent for those who are 65 and older.
- 8,600 estimated to be employed in the public and private sector in 2017.[2]
Theory of Change
Key Thrusts
- Engaging & Equipping Employers
- Job Matching & Placement
- Training & Work Readiness
- Continuing Career Development
- Employment Protection
Employers understand PWD capabilities | ↘ | |||||
Employers know how to make workplace accommodations | → | Employers are willing to hire | ↘ | |||
Employers find it financially feasible to hire | ↗ | |||||
Employers & PWDs are matched | → | PWDs secure jobs | → | PWDs treated fairly at work & have career development | ||
PWDs are work ready | ↗ | |||||
Areas of Needs
Employers understand value PWD capabilities
- Study by Kathy Charmaz on workplace disclosures, for reference
- CNA podcast (10 May 2019) on whether Singapore uses Charity lens when supporting employment for people with disabilities
Programmes | Gaps | Ideas |
Inclusive Business Networks & Seminars
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Can there be more opportunities to dialogue with employers or partners such as WSG/MOM, such that the process may be more institutionalised/supported? | |
Disability education training for employers and co-workers of PWDs
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PWDs continue to face discrimination in the workplace: see 2015 study by DPA and this DPA-IPS 2016-2017 participatory research |
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SG Enable employer resources
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Employer’s misconceptions and false assumptions about the abilities of those with disabilities (only a handful of them are educated in SPED schools and do not have the necessary skills and credentials to obtain high-wage, high-skill jobs) [Need evidence]
Limited effectiveness because it is hard to change employers' attitudes[3] |
Public education campaigns highlighting the strengths and abilities of those with disabilities and more career fairs for PWDs |
Inclusive Business Networks & Seminars
Inclusive Business Forum (IBF) and “Fostering Inclusion At The Workplace” Seminar
- Inaugural IBF held in 2016 , second round on 25 Jul 2018
- Inaugural seminar held in 2017
- Inform businesses of the benefits of hiring PWDs and encourage more employers to hire PWDs
Singapore Business Network on Disability
- Community of businesses in Singapore across various industries who work in collaboration to share (as appropriate) expertise, experience, networks and resources to help advance the equitable inclusion of persons with disabilities
- Started in May 2015 with AIG, Barclays, Dairy Farm, Deutsche Bank, EY, KPMG, Singtel, Standard Chartered
Employers know how to make workplace accommodations
Programmes | Gaps | Ideas |
SG Enable-hosted Employer Resources
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Companies and their HR remain non-diversity ready [need data/evidence]
[Anecdotal evidence by an in-service professional of more than 10 years - key comments that he always gets from employers: 1. "We don't know how to manage his/her behaviours or risk harm to himself/herself and others" 2. "Our staff is fearful and not very confident in working with them” 3. "What should we say or do when this or that situation happens"] |
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Singapore Business Network on Disability
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Disability education training for employers and co-workers of PWDs
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PWDs continue to face discrimination in the workplace: see 2015 study by DPA and this DPA-IPS 2016-2017 participatory research |
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Employers find it financially feasible to hire
Programmes | Gaps | Ideas |
Enabling Employment Credit (EEC) - Announced but not yet in place
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This EEC "carries the implication that disabled people are limited to taking up lower-paid jobs" when in reality" more disabled people are obtaining degrees and striving for professionals, managers and executive roles" - thus "some employers may only consider hiring a disabled person to fill a lower-paid position but not a higher-paid one". (by Jonathan Tiong) | Abolish the $4,000 monthly salary cap |
Special Employment Credit (SEC)
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Open Door Programme
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Takeup rate is low, and many employers don’t know about the ODP despite its attractiveness.
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Workfare Training Support (WTS) Scheme
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Accessing SkillsFuture training courses remain difficult for some. A blind individual with a Master’s degree in counselling called SG Enable asking for help to navigate available subsidies for training such as the WTS, but she was offered Sheltered Workshop training instead. [Need more data] |
Employers & People with Disabilities are Matched
Assessment & matching
Ideally: PWDs understand their suitability for jobs and employers understand implications of hiring specific candidate
Vocational Assessment & Advisory
Programmes | Gaps | Ideas |
BizLink Vocational Assessment Service
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ARC Employability & Employment Centre (E2C) Programme
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An individual with autism received vocational assistance from ARC; he paid $494 (after subsidy) for the vocational assessment but was deemed unemployable, yet managed to secure a job later at Dignity Kitchen.
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SG Enable — Job Advisory
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Job Search
Programmes | Gaps | Ideas |
SG Enable - Job Advisory
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SG Enable — Disability Employment Jobs Portal
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Jobs listed on most job portals do not reflect if the hiring company is interested to employ PWDs. Career events are not always universally designed as well. | Employers can reflect if they are keen to employ PWDs, at career events, on job portals and other avenues.
Having a “ready-to-hire PWDs” mark would ease PWDs’ job search process. |
ABLE Return to Work Programme
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BizLink Vocational Assessment Service
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SPD Employment Support Programme (ESP)
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SPD Transition To Employment Programme (TTE)
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ARC Employability & Employment Centre (E2C) Programme
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MINDS Employment Development Centres (EDCs)
Provides vocational training for adults with intellectual disabilities aged 18 and above: |
Job Coaching
PWDs are work ready
Acquire work skills
Apply in actual settings
Programmes | Gaps | Ideas |
Transition & Vocational Training in SPED schools: list here | Some SPED students have difficulty mastering job skills training even when approaching graduation/18 years old. | Allow SPED students to attend courses ad-hoc, after graduation, taking into consideration income loss too. |
SPED school graduates lack internship opportunities during their school-going years. SPED schools and VWOs typically have to get their own contacts. | Have a central coordinator that facilitates the internship process, or have more opportunities to dialogue with partners like WSG/MOM. | |
Skills taught in WSQ- and WPLN- certified courses may not always be retained, nor applied. | Study European apprenticeship models to improve on vocational training and transition planning. | |
Because of job tracking, SPED graduates tend to lack information on job opportunities beyond their track, e.g., ex-student who worked in Coffee Bean switched to forklift driving. | Explore the feasibility of freelance/cottage industry labour, evergreen sectors like waste management, funeral parlour work, and purposeful job re-designs. Remember to take into account caregiver perceptions and potential reservations, where relevant too. | |
Lack of information on job opportunity and industry trends that SPED schools usually train their students to enter. | PWDs’ employability may be at risk in view of increasing automation and technological advancement. Can we equip them to work alongside technologies such as digital media, handheld tech, machines? Learn from Orana, Australia. | |
SPED graduates tend to be pigeonholed into specific tracks/job roles which are mostly low-skilled. | ||
Mountbatten Vocational School - ITE Skills Certificate (ISC)
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Metta School’s Vocational Certification Programme-
Institute of Technical Education Skills Certificate (ISC)
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Metta School’s Employment Pathway Programme (EPP)
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Metta School’s C (Career) Programme
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APSN Delta Senior School’s Vocational Certification Programme - Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ)
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Sheltered Workshops
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MINDS Employment Development Centres (EDCs)
MINDS regularly organises internships in industries as diverse as laundromats, supermarkets, hardware shops and car wash facilities in petrol stations for its clients starting from the age of about 16. By around age 19, some PWDs can be guided towards working in sheltered workshops that cater to them, doing work such as packing, retail, baking and making crafts. Others are placed in the general labour market, where they are mentored and supported by job coaches from Minds who ensure that they are not stressed in their new environment or check that they are able to take public transport to work.[5] |
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Rise Mentorship Programme
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IHL Internship Programme
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CV Clinics by Singapore Business Network on Disability
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Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore – Goodwill, Rehabilitation and Occupational Workshop (GROW)
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Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped - Skills Development Programme
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Down Syndrome Association – Adult Enhancement Programme | ||
Training Courses at Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centres | There is a lack of knowledge of which courses (e.g., WSQ courses) are disability-friendly, or which Continuing Education and Training (CET) centres are conducive or accessible to PWDs (e.g. traveling to and within centres, sensory disturbances). | CET centres can consult relevant organisations to understand the considerations involved in ensuring that a venue is accessible (not just in the centre/building, but also getting there) |
Training Programmes at SG Enable: list here |
Fair Treatment & Career Development
Aware of fair employment practices, can seek recourse or have protections against discrimination and other unfair work practices
- Government favours promotional and educational approach; Laws may adversely affect businesses; Government wants to avoid market rigidity. Government’s view: kindness and compassion cannot be legislated. Nor can they be enforced. It follows, then, that moral suasion, raising public awareness and promoting civic consciousness are more realistic ways to bring about change.[1]
- Legislation is the way to change mindsets and attitudes because people are apathetic[2]
Programmes | Gaps | Ideas |
Guidelines by Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) for fair employment practices
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TAFEP Guidelines is not strictly binding; lack bite; no legal recourse [Need data/evidence on efficacy of TAFEP claims]
[Comment from an autistic man working in open employment: 1) in today's employment landscape where more than 50% employers value soft skills over hard skills, autistics are at a disadvantage because that is one inherent weakness for us. Whereas physical disabilities doesn't interfere with social skills (though of course there are other challenges they face). 2) It is less clear on what constitutes discrimination. E.g. if an employer doesn't hire a deaf person because the job requires answering phone calls (that is not discrimination) VS an employer doesn't hire a deaf person to do a desk-bound job that requires computer usage (that is discrimination, if the employer didn't assess him/her holistically and just wrote him/her off BECAUSE he/she is deaf). However, for autistics, due to the nature of our challenges, and the fact that soft skills cannot be totally avoided in the workplace, the line is blur on what is discrimination and what is not] |
Anti-discrimination laws and/or ombudsman body together with public education. [Existing legislation we can study, adapt and adopt from are the Americans with Disabilities Act, the United Kingdom’s Equality Act and Australia’s Disability Discrimination Act, which are regarded as being the gold standard. |
Employment Act | Employment Act - no legal recourse for offenders |
Discussion on Employment Quota
- ↑ https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/more-than-25-of-people-with-disabilities-are-employed
- ↑ https://www.msf.gov.sg/media-room/Pages/Employment-rate-of-Persons-with-Disabilities.aspx
- ↑ http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/people-with-disabilities-in-the-spotlight
- ↑ https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/more-firms-in-singapore-hiring-people-with-disabilities
- ↑ http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/myth-of-the-disabled-worker