President Halimah: Jobs for the disabled should be a national issue
President Halimah says they will benefit more if included in mainstream job creation, placement efforts
Jobs for people with disabilities should be planned at the national level, President Halimah Yacob said yesterday.
She said this in the hope that the newly created National Jobs Council, which will focus on creating jobs and building skills during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, will also review how employment is created for people with disabilities.
They will benefit more if they are included in mainstream job creation and job placement efforts instead of being treated separately, she added.
"We should look at (employment for people with disabilities) as a national issue, rather than for it to be just an objective of welfare organisations and social service agencies," she said in a Facebook post.
CHAIRMAN
The council was announced during the fourth Budget on May 26, with Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam as its chairman.
Madam Halimah said: "In my many conversations with parents of persons with disabilities, the lack of job opportunities for their children and the worry (about) how their children will sustain themselves after they are gone are often lifelong concerns."
This year's President's Challenge is focused on empowering people with disabilities.
In her post, Madam Halimah also invited more employers to sign the Enabling Employment Pledge, which would signal their commitment to doing more to provide training and employment to people with disabilities.
She said Singapore has managed to avert large-scale retrenchments because of the support measures implemented, but the country has to be prepared that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused fundamental shifts in the economy.
FIRST
This is the first time Singapore is getting a national-level council dedicated to jobs, she said.
The National Jobs Council has 17 members, including eight ministers and representatives from the labour movement and business associations.
She said: "As we review, re-strategise or refocus where our economy is heading, we need to gain a better perspective of where the jobs will be and how to make them accessible to Singaporeans. The work of this council is about charting our future together."
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