Transforming Neighbourhood Shops to Provide Employment Opportunities to Persons with Special Needs

14 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Minister will consider developing and co-creating transformation and funding schemes for neighbourhood shops such as minimarts to provide employment and workplace incubation opportunities to vulnerable segments of society such as persons with special needs or persons with disabilities.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Eric Chua) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development): Sir, the Government supports businesses of all sizes, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in inclusive hiring.

Under the Open Door Programme, administered by SG Enable, persons with disabilities and employers receive up to one year of job matching and customised employment support from trained job coaches. Employers can tap on the Job Redesign Grant to redesign jobs, purchase new equipment or modify the workplace to be more conducive for their employees with disabilities. These schemes are open to employers in neighbourhood shops.

In addition, under the Inclusive Business Programme run by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and SG Enable, businesses that commit to having at least 20% of their hired workforce made up of persons with disabilities can be directly allocated HDB shop spaces. SMEs enjoy a 30% rental discount for their first three years of tenancy, with an option to renew for another three years.

SG Enable reaches out to such neighbourhood shops to promote these schemes. For example, its Enabling Business Hub at Jurong has engaged the Federation of Merchants’ Associations Singapore and Taman Jurong Hawkers’ Association to promote inclusive hiring of persons with disabilities in the community.

Mr Speaker: Ms Tan.

Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon): Thank you, Speaker. I would like to thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply. May I clarify if he was taking both Question Nos 14 and 15 together, or only Question No 14?

Mr Eric Chua: Just one.

Ms Carrie Tan: Just Question No 14, okay. I would like to find out whether there can be a systematic programme, given that there are already 712 minimarts that are currently operating under the HDB leases island-wide. As the Senior Parliamentary Secretary recognised, this is a great opportunity where there can be location- and proximity-based opportunities for persons with special needs and disabilities to be employed within and near to their own places of residence. So, while there is this Open Door Programme, is the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) willing to consider a more concerted and systematic effort and programme, specifically catered for minimarts to pivot into a social enterprise or social enterprises to offer employment to persons with disabilities (PwDs) and persons with special needs (PWSNs) within their specific locality and neighbourhoods?

Mr Eric Chua: Sir, actually, there is a concerted and coordinated plan as recommended by the Enabling Master Plan Task Force for promoting inclusive employment practices. Some of the key components of our strategies to raise the bar in inclusive employment include: one, harvesting the potential for more inclusive hires in six identified growth sectors by enhancing support for employers in companies in these sectors, including putting in place inclusive hiring champions; two, improving opportunities for PwDs in gig work; and three, uplifting the capabilities of our job coaches.

But to the Member's suggestion, we are prepared to look at what the Enabling Business Hub is currently doing, working with the hawkers' associations, as well as the local community, local heartlands, business owners, and scale what has been done, where appropriate.