Wage Offsets and Other Support to Encourage Hiring of Chronically Ill Persons

6 Assoc Prof Terence Ho asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider extending wage offsets or other forms of support to encourage the hiring of chronically ill persons, such as kidney dialysis patients, who may not meet the prevailing definition of persons with disability.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: Mr Speaker, persons with chronic illnesses are a diverse group and a differentiated approach is needed to support them. Those who require time for treatment, such as kidney dialysis patients, may request for flexible work schedules to accommodate their treatment regime. The Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) Requests support such requests. Others might need workplace adjustments or modified duties to ease physical strain and workloads, which employers would need to work out on a case-by-case basis. Yet, others who are on longer-term immunosuppressives may need the understanding and support of employers to provide less crowded workplaces and personal protective equipment. The tripartite partners provide various resources to help employers implement these arrangements, such as the Singapore National Employers Federation's workshops which guide employers on FWA implementation.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting all workers, including those managing chronic conditions, to remain in employment. Beyond support for FWAs, individuals can tap on a broader suite of employment support, including job matching and career advisory services provided by Workforce Singapore and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute. These agencies work closely with jobseekers to understand their circumstances and match them to suitable roles that accommodate their needs.

Mr Speaker: Assoc Prof Terrence Ho.

Assoc Prof Terence Ho (Nominated Member): Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary (SPS), for his reply. It came to my attention by reading a news report last month that kidney dialysis patients, in particular, face a significantly higher rate of unemployment. So, my question is, are there processes to review statistics that could identify certain groups who may be facing challenges in employment and is there a review process to see whether they could potentially qualify for the Enabling Employment Credit or other forms of direct support?

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: I thank Assoc Prof Ho for the question. First, to better understand, for the Enabling Employment Credit is mainly for folks who have more permanent disabilities in terms of physical, intellectual, sensory impairments and also developmental needs.

With regard to the newspaper article in terms of the higher unemployment, we are also working together with tripartite partners to make sure that these arrangements are made available to raise awareness among employers on how they can do better inclusive hiring, and also working, for example, with the National Kidney Foundation's chief executive officer Yen Tan, in terms of understanding the potential employers' needs as well. And that is where the matching can work to enhance their employability.

11.30 am

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time. Introduction of Government Bills. Second Minister for Finance.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]