Hire more persons with disabilities to ease labour crunch in services sector

In February, the Government announced that it would reduce the foreign-worker quota for the services sector in the next two years, to push firms to restructure and raise productivity.

It will cut the sector’s Dependency Ratio Ceiling — or the proportion of foreign workers that firms may hire — from 40 per cent to 38 per cent on Jan 1 next year, and to 35 per cent on Jan 1, 2021.

Already, some established chains, including American eatery Chili's Grill & Bar, have exited the Singapore market after citing difficulties in hiring and training employees (“Labour woes, high rents: Why popular restaurant chain Chili’s shut in Singapore”; April 11).  

The Government should consider integrating more persons with disabilities into the services sector, to ensure that Singapore’s labour resources are utilised fully.

In doing so, fewer foreign workers will be needed and the sector can stay competitive.

Right now, about five out of 100 persons with disabilities in Singapore are employed. This is among the lowest in developed countries. Employers may be reluctant to hire them because they misjudge their productivity levels.

Persons with disabilities may be given tasks, such as packaging food or cleaning.

While few Singaporeans are willing to take up these jobs, they open up employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

This will benefit Singapore. By fully utilising manpower — our only precious resource — we can increase labour productivity and economic growth, so that Singapore can prosper in the years ahead.