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Written Answer by Minister for Manpower Mrs Josephine Teo, to PQ on Persons with Disabilities who have found placements via the Open Door Programme

Employment practices

NOTICE PAPER NO. 304 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON 04 MARCH 2021
QUESTION NO. 548 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER


MP: Mr Leon Perera


To ask the Minister for Manpower since the 2014 launch of the Open Door Programme (ODP) (a) what is the breakdown of the total number of persons with disabilities (PWDs) who have found placements via the ODP in terms of (i) full-time versus part-time placements and (ii) industry sector; (b) whether employers participating in the ODP have increased the percentage of PWDs in their workforce; and (c) what are the indicators of effectiveness used to assess the ODP.


Answer:

1. The Open Door Programme (ODP) is administered by SG Enable with support from Workforce Singapore (WSG).

2. SG Enable's focus is primarily to help match persons with disabilities (PwDs) to suitable jobs. These jobs can be full-time or part-time depending on their individual circumstances. Both types of employment are meaningful. As the focus is on the PwDs rather than their employers, we track (i) how many PwDs have we helped placed into jobs, and (ii) whether these PwDs remain employed with the same employer after six months.

3. Between 2014 and 2020, more than 3,000 PwDs were placed into jobs through the job placement and job support partners under the ODP. The top sectors that have hired PwDs through the ODP are Food Services, Administrative and Support Services Activities, and Retail. More than 60% of PwDs placed into jobs through the ODP remained employed with the same employer after six months.

4. Support for PwD employment is not limited to the ODP. The Government also supports the employment and employability of PwDs through employment credits. The Enabling Employment Credit (EEC) and its predecessor, the Special Employment Credit (SEC), provide employers with wage offsets for each Singaporean PwD earning below $4,000 per month that they employ. The enhancements to the Jobs Growth Incentive provide greater support to employers who hire PwDs, which is added on top of the EEC. Through these efforts, the average employment rate for resident PwDs in the working ages of 15 to 64 has been sustained at around 29%. This was despite the downturn in the economy last year.