Remarks at SG Enable - SBS Transit MOU Signing
Shawn Huang, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower, Taman Jurong Community Club
Mr Jeffrey Sim, Group Chief Executive Officer, SBS Transit
Ms Lee May Gee, Chief Executive Officer, SG Enable
Distinguished Guests, Partners
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me to join you today to witness the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SBS Transit and SG Enable. It is a pleasure to witness this very meaningful partnership, which reflects our shared commitment to greater inclusion in the workplace.
Inclusive Employment, Staff Training and Public Education
2 Employment plays an important role in enabling persons with disabilities to build confidence, develop their capabilities and lead meaningful lives. By opening more pathways into employment, we can unlock the talents and potential of persons with disabilities and create a society where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and flourish.
3 When the Enabling Masterplan 2030 was launched in 2022, the employment rate of resident persons with disabilities stood at 31.4%. By 2025, it had risen to 34.7%. I am heartened that we have made steady progress towards 40% of employment rate for persons with disabilities by 2030.
4 Recently, the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities announced several recommendations to sustain momentum towards this goal. These recommendations aim not only to help persons with disabilities secure employment, but also to support them to stay employed, progress in their careers and achieve better employment outcomes over time.
5 In line with this, the PwD Taskforce is strengthening the employment journey for persons with disabilities through a combination of hiring incentives and workplace support. This includes measures such as enhancements to the Enabling Employment Credit and the introduction of the Supported‑Enterprise Enabling Grant. These aim to encourage more employers to hire inclusively, and to support workers with disabilities to stay employed and progress meaningfully at work.
6 But the work to advance inclusive employment in Singapore is far from complete. The Government cannot do this alone. Employers, families, and the wider community all have a part to play in creating an environment where persons with disabilities can contribute their strengths, build their capabilities and pursue meaningful and sustained careers.
7 Today's MOU signing is one example of such a partnership. It brings together SG Enable, the national agency for disability, and SBS Transit, to advance inclusion through inclusive employment, staff training and public education.
8 Under this MOU, SBS Transit will enhance its inclusive hiring efforts and equip its staff with the skills to better support persons with disabilities. SG Enable will also work with SBS Transit to use its public transport assets to raise awareness and promote greater inclusion in the community.
9 I commend SBS Transit for its commitment to making 300 cumulative inclusive hires by 2030 through its own workforce and network of service providers. This is an important commitment. By opening up employment opportunities and building supportive workplaces, employers can enable persons with disabilities to gain skills, stay employed and progress in their careers.
10 This is a team effort. For example, we can look into the different tasks and decipher what are the strengths, what are the capabilities, and what are the assistive technologies that we can use to make sure persons of disabilities are able to work and contribute equally throughout their lives and progress in their careers. Just this morning, I was at a media interview sharing about our taskforce recommendations, and I mentioned that it is a collective effort. It is not just about giving a person with disabilities a one-year role and task, but also to make sure that they continue to progress. We must ensure that those who are disadvantaged and those who have disabilities can progress.
11 On that, thank you very much for being here today, and I hope that more will follow SBS Transit’s example.