Addressing Challenges that Prevent Special Needs Young Adults from Securing and Retaining Employment

110 Dr Charlene Chen asked the Minister for Social and Family Development in view of existing schemes, such as the Open Door Programme and Enabling Employment Credit (a) what challenges still prevent young adults with special needs from securing and retaining meaningful employment; and (b) how does the Ministry plan to address these barriers and strengthen collaboration with employers to enhance inclusivity and job design.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Persons with disabilities may face challenges securing employment as some employers are not aware of the benefits of inclusive hiring or have limited knowledge and in-house capabilities to do so, such as providing accessible workplace and reasonable job accommodations. Persons with disabilities may also require employment support to identify job opportunities aligned to their strengths and interests, as well as additional training and job coaching to acquire the skills needed for the job and to adapt to the workplace.

The Government has put in place measures over the years to support employers to strengthen inclusive employment practices. Under the Open Door Programme, employers can tap on customised employment support from trained job coaches, as well as grants to support job redesign and workshops to prepare them and their employees without disabilities to interact with, hire, integrate and retain employees with disabilities in their organisation.

In addition, employers receive wage offsets through the Enabling Employment Credit. We also introduced a new Employer Development Grant from 2025 to empower employers to build up their inclusive hiring capabilities. This will enable them to scale up efforts to hire persons with disabilities and support their long-term retention.

To support persons with disabilities who require more employment support and training, the Enabling Business Hub, launched by SG Enable in 2023, provides customised skills training in the logistics sector, as well as longer and more intensive job support.

The Government will continue to grow and develop capabilities of inclusive employers and expand employment opportunities, through a comprehensive suite of support for inclusive hiring. SG Enable is taking a sectoral approach to curate job opportunities in six key sectors that either traditionally hire or have growing potential for job opportunities suitable for persons with disabilities, namely food and beverage, retail, information and communications, health and social services, transport and storage, and financial and insurance services. In addition, SG Enable and its partners will continue working with employers to curate and support persons with disabilities to take on short-term assignments or gig jobs, as a stepping stone to build up their work stamina and experience, or as an alternative to formal employment for those who prefer more flexible work.

We recognise that job coaches play an important role in providing practical advice on job redesign, accommodations and inclusive hiring practices to build an inclusive workplace environment. We will do more to uplift their capabilities. In September 2024, SG Enable launched the Job Coach Career Map to support the professional development of job coaches. SG Enable will also curate platforms such as learning journeys to companies across the six key sectors to equip job coaches with a better understanding of the job opportunities and functions of these industries.

Ultimately, we need to shift towards a workplace culture where employers recognise the benefits that inclusive hiring can bring to the organisation, including more purpose-driven employees, and an innovative and learning culture.