SINGAPORE: The Government's Forward Singapore exercise will continue to consider how to provide better care and support for people with disabilities and to ensure a more inclusive society, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday .
He was speaking at the biennial Inclusive Business Forum 2022 organised by SG Enable, an agency dedicated to enabling persons with disabilities. He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had helped paved the way for a more inclusive work environment. Employers were prepared to hire PWDs to fill in manpower gaps in a tight labour market.
To support the employability of PWDs, the Government already offsets up to 20 per cent of their wages through the Enabling Employment Credit and defray up to 90 per cent of the cost of workplace modifications and equipment to help companies accommodate PWDs' unique needs. "If we want to see a sustainable improvement in the employment outcomes of persons with disabilities, businesses must see it in their interest to hire such people – not out of charity, not out of social good alone, but because businesses truly believe in the benefits of disability-inclusive hiring," he said.