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LCQ10: Employment situation of persons with disabilities
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     Following is a question by the Hon Tam Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (October 24):

Question:

     Quite a number of organisations for persons with disabilities (PWDs) have relayed to me that PWDs at present encounter great difficulties in seeking jobs. In respect of the employment situation of PWDs, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the statistics on the employment of PWDs by government departments from 2009 to September 2012 (please list the relevant figures according to the types of disabilities set out in Annex 1);

(b) of the statistics on PWDs with employment arranged through the employment services provided by the Labour Department from 2009 to September 2012 (please list the relevant figures according to the types of disabilities set out in Annex 2);

(c) whether any new measures to facilitate or promote employment of PWDs by government departments and public and private organisations are being studied; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(d) whether it will consider afresh the introduction of a "quota system for employing PWDs" to require enterprises to employ a specified percentage of PWDs by legislation; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The policy objective of the Government is to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal access to participation in productive and gainful employment in the open market. We have put in place suitable legislative measures against disability discrimination in employment and at the workplace. We are committed to providing a wide range of employment support and vocational training services for persons with disabilities, including selective placement services provided by the Labour Department (LD) to assist persons with disabilities in securing employment in the open market, vocational rehabilitation training provided by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and the Vocational Training Council, and re-training programmes for persons with disabilities provided by the Employees Retraining Board, etc. In addition, the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) collaborates with the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee (RAC) and various sectors in the community to promote the work capability of persons with disabilities through public education, publicity, visit programmes, etc, and encourage various sectors to employ persons with disabilities and procure the products and services provided by rehabilitation organisations.

     My reply to the question raised by the Hon Tam Yiu-chung is as follows:

(a) According to statistics, a breakdown of the number of persons with disabilities in the civil service by type of disabilities (more or less the same as the classification of the Hon Tam) from 2009 to 2012 (Note) is set out in Annex 3.

(b) From 2009 to 2011, the Selective Placement Division (SPD) of LD recorded 2 436, 2 405 and 2 403 successful employment cases of job-seekers with disabilities respectively, while the corresponding figure was 1 939 for the period from January to September 2012.  A breakdown of these cases by type of disabilities (more or less the same as the classification of the Hon Tam) is set out in Annex 4.

(c) The Government has been proactively encouraging government departments, government subvented organisations and statutory bodies to employ persons with disabilities. The Government, as an employer, seeks to place persons with disabilities in the Government where appropriate, and welcomes applications from them for Government posts. A candidate with disability who meets the basic entry requirements for a Government post will not be subject to any shortlisting criteria and will be directly invited to attend a selection interview or written examination.  Candidates with disabilities will be given an appropriate degree of preference in order to enable them to compete with able-bodied candidates on equal grounds. In addition, if any candidates with disability request special arrangements to take the written examination or attend an interview in the recruitment exercise, the department concerned will consider their request and make appropriate arrangement.  The Civil Service Bureau (CSB) has been closely monitoring whether the policy on employment of persons with disabilities by the Government is effectively implemented among government departments. At the same time, the Government provides various types of on-the-job assistance to employees with disabilities to facilitate them to carry out their duties properly. Such assistance includes modifications of work areas or facilities, appropriate changes to job design or work schedules, provision of necessary equipment, etc. CSB also allocate funds for the purchase of technical aids, such as Braille display, screen reading software, telephone amplifier for employees with disabilities to facilitate their effective discharge of duties in the workplace.  The Government will adhere to the above policies and affirmative measures to promote the employment of persons with disabilities.

     Moreover, LWB has all along requested all policy bureaux to proactively encourage public bodies and subvented organisations under their purview to formulate recruitment policy and measures for persons with disabilities. These measures may include formulating policies and procedures regarding the employment of persons with disabilities by drawing reference to those for the civil service; publishing the numbers of employees with disabilities in their annual reports; and giving priority in procuring products and services provided by rehabilitation organisations.

     Besides, the SPD of LD provides free and personalised employment services to job seekers with disabilities for their open employment. SPD has also implemented the "Work Orientation and Placement Scheme" with a view to enhancing the competitiveness of job-seekers with disabilities through pre-employment training and offering financial incentive to employers so as to encourage them to employ persons with disabilities and provide training and support to them. To enhance employers' understanding of the working capacity of persons with disabilities, SPD has produced a series of new videos and photos on successful employment cases for viewing by employers through the use of tablet computers during promotional visits. SPD will also continue to actively approach employers of various sectors to canvass more suitable vacancies for persons with disabilities.

     To create job opportunities for persons with disabilities, SWD grants seed money to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the setting up of small enterprises through the "Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise Project" (3E's Project). Under the 3E's Project, NGOs are provided with a maximum funding support of $2 million per business to meet the set-up capital cost and operating expenses incurred in the initial period of business operation. A funded business needs to fulfill the requirement that the number of employees with disabilities should not be less than 50% of the number of employees on the payroll of the business. This year, the Administration has injected $100 million into the 3E's Project and extended the funding period for each project from a maximum of two years to three years. To encourage employment of persons with disabilities, we will also provide subsidies to employers of persons with disabilities for procuring assistive devices and carrying out workplace modification works, thereby enabling persons with disabilities to secure employment in open market and employees with disabilities to work more efficiently. An employer can receive a maximum subsidy of $20 000 for each employee with disabilities.  Besides, we will provide a $500 financial incentive for mentor to encourage employers to render workplace guidance to employees with disabilities and help them adapt to new jobs.

(d) According to studies by the European Commission in 2000 and the International Labour Organisation in 2003 on promotion of employment of persons with disabilities, a mandatory employment quota system has not been proven successful overseas in helping persons with disabilities to secure employment, and some countries have abolished their quota system. The prevailing trend has moved away from employment quota system to anti-discrimination legislation and enhanced support measures for persons with disabilities.

     Indeed, under a mandatory employment quota system, persons with disabilities would be perceived as a liability, making them difficult to be accepted by their peers at work. This is not conducive to their integration into the community. We consider that persons with disabilities should be assisted to find appropriate jobs on the basis of their abilities rather than disabilities. Apart from providing vocational training and employment support for persons with disabilities, we will continue to adopt positive encouragement measures to enhance job opportunities for persons with disabilities, such as giving due recognition to good employers, sharing good practices and providing incentive and assistance to employers, etc.

Note :The cut-off date of the relevant statistics is March 31 of each year. We do not have readily available information as of September 2012.

Ends/Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:43

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