New employment office, job redesign support among new measures to help persons with disabilities

Barista Caleb Lim, 31, who has autism spectrum disorder, serving a customer at the Enabling Village’s Art Bar on Oct 2.

ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Published Oct 04, 2026, 06:00 PM

Updated Oct 04, 2026, 06:00 PM

People with disabilities (PWDs) in Singapore will receive enhanced support in education, employment and community living through new programmes and an Employment Support Office by 2030.

The task force recommends expanded work exposure, training grants and streamlined employer incentives to improve job placement and retention for PWDs.

Additional measures include future care planning, more accessible community services, and inclusive initiatives in schools and workplaces to promote independent living and social integration.

SINGAPORE – Persons with disabilities (PWDs) will get more support across key life transitions, such as moving from school to employment, with upcoming measures to be rolled out by 2030.

Students in special education (SPED) schools, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnics will be trained in workplace and soft skills and given more work exposure.

National disability agency SG Enable will expand its career services with a new Employment Support Office at the Enabling Village in Lengkok Bahru, to help both PWDs and employers navigate employment matters. It will be fully operational in the second half of 2027.

Other measures include support for future care planning, training all front-line polyclinic staff to attend to people with intellectual disability and autism, and expanding community services.

These were among the recommendations in a 67-page report by the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities released on Oct 4.

The task force was formed in December 2025 to review support for PWDs across life stages. Its recommendations, based on engagements with more than 200 individuals including caregivers and service providers, span three areas – planning for the future, finding and growing in a job, and living well in the community.

Over the next five years, the Government is committed to spending up to an additional 60% on average a PWD to strengthen support for them and their families, said the report.

For many families, the period after graduation known as the “post-18 cliff” is a source of uncertainty. They worry whether their loved ones can find and keep a job, live independently and stay connected to their communities, the report said.

The report builds on Singapore’s plans for an inclusive society, including the Enabling Masterplan 2030, which aimed for stronger post-SPED school support.

At a press conference at the Enabling Village ahead of the report’s release, Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said there is support in schools, workplaces and disability facilities, but gaps remain in between.

“It’s always the transitions where perhaps expectations may fall short, where the family or the person with disability feels a little bit lost, and I think this is where we feel that we can do a bit more,” said Goh.

Goh leads the inter-agency task force with four other political office-holders. They are Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for Health; Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development; Shawn Huang, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower; and Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education.

Job woes and support

Employment continues to be a challenge for the community. Currently, 34.7% of Singapore’s residents with disabilities are employed. The Republic aims to hit 40% by 2030.

Some PWDs said they found it difficult to build workplace skills such as communication, while others struggled to find relevant opportunities.

To address this, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will introduce structured applied learning and work exposure – such as learning journeys to workplaces and job tasters – in SPED schools for students with autism that offer the national curriculum, like Pathlight School.

MOE said these schools have done well in building academic foundations, but have limited opportunities to develop work-related skills.

Transition support programmes will be introduced as more SPED graduates move on to ITE and polytechnics. MOE said between 2023 and 2025, students with disabilities consist about 2% of these institutions’ total enrolment on average each year.

Lydia Wong, 19, a final-year Higher Nitec student in ITE studying retail and online business, felt that work exposure opportunities built her confidence for future employment. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Lydia Wong, 19, a final-year Higher Nitec student in ITE studying retail and online business, felt that work exposure opportunities built her confidence for future employment.

ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Lydia Wong, 19, a final-year Higher Nitec student in ITE studying retail and online business, felt that work exposure has built her confidence.

With impaired speech and motor functions, she finds it hard to handle stress or complete tasks quickly. A job coach and an understanding supervisor eased her transition into an internship as a retail assistant.

“At times, the store gets very busy, and I get very stressed out... (but my supervisor) told me not to stress out and just do things slowly, step by step,” said Wong, who hopes to enrol in an early childhood education polytechnic course.

Keeping PWDs in jobs is another concern . Data from the Ministry of Manpower as at 2025 shows that only about one in four employed residents with disabilities worked for the same employer for at least one year. The proportion drops to 2.2% for those who do so for at least seven years.

Retention is higher among participants in SG Enable’s School to Work programme, which offers customised training pathways and work options for SPED school graduates. Over three in four stay in their role for at least a year.

To add more structured pathways, SG Enable will expand its Sector Train- and -Place programme, which was piloted in 2025 to train PWDs for jobs in the hospitality sector, to five more sectors, including food and beverage and info-communications and technology.

A total of 800 PWDs are expected to gain employment between 2026 and 2030 through this scheme.

Meanwhile, the new Employment Support Office will go beyond SG Enable’s current job placement services to provide longer-term skills and career support.

A 95% course fee subsidy under the SG Enable Training Grant – which currently applies only to courses specifically customised for PWDs – will extend to eligible mainstream courses offered by training providers accredited by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency, including in-demand courses like AI.

New grants for employers

To help employers, the Employment Support Office will work with industry stakeholders to develop playbooks for sectors with strong potential to hire PWDs, such as retail trade and finance and insurance services. The guides will cover how to identify suitable roles and redesign jobs.

The task force also found that employers faced a cumbersome process in applying for grants. Three existing schemes – the Open Door Programme Job Redesign Grant, Open Door Programme Training Grant for Employers and Employer Development Grant – will hence be merged into a single Enabling Employment Grant.

This grant will have a wider scope, including offsetting costs for employers to customise in-house training for PWDs. The three existing schemes helped about 100 employers in 2025, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).

Enterprises that hire a “significant proportion” of PWDs with moderate needs – which MSF defines as those who require ongoing, structured support to stay in a job – can also tap a new Supported-Enterprise Enabling Grant.

With this, firms can use the funds to hire training officers, therapists and psychologists to support these employees. MSF said more details on the grant requirements will be shared at a later date.

The Enabling Employment Credit (EEC), which offsets wages for PWDs earning below $4,000 monthly, will raise its income ceiling, and also increase in amount and duration for the temporary wage offset. More details will be released later in 2026.

The number of employers who received the EEC rose from about 6,400 in 2021 to 6,800 in 2025, added the spokesperson.

OCBC’s head of group human resources Lee Hwee Boon said the initiatives would help companies to start inclusive hiring.

The bank’s biggest challenge in this was convincing managers to take the first step, as some were worried about providing the right support or how well the new employee would adapt, said Lee.

But their perceptions shifted when they saw it could be done. OCBC partnered SG Enable in March 2023, and had access to job redesign and training support, and partners such as Autism Resource Centre.

The bank now hires people with autism whose strengths include attention to detail and consistency. Many have been placed in technology and human resource-related roles.

A sense of belonging

Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming (right) meeting TOUCH client Sherman, who has an intellectual disability, deafness, cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and his mother Wu Ping at Enabling Village on Sept 17. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming (right) meeting TOUCH client Sherman, who has an intellectual disability, deafness, cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and his mother Wu Ping at Enabling Village on Sept 17.

Families will get more help to think ahead in areas like finances, housing and health, with future care planning made available progressively in all adult disability services such as day activity centres and sheltered workshops.

They will also pay less for such services by 2028 , while more spaces will be added to day activity centres and sheltered workshops by 2030.

More broadly, the report said there is a need to move beyond care arrangements and help PWDs live more independently in the community.

Among its recommendations are eight more Enabling Services Hubs to make community support more accessible. A Health Communication Passport will be introduced at selected polyclinics so individuals can convey what they need to healthcare staff.

The report also outlined efforts to strengthen disability inclusion in schools and workplaces, create inclusive spaces and encourage meaningful interaction between the public and PWDs.

The goal is to create a society where PWDs feel a strong sense of belonging, said Goh. “We hope that Singaporeans from all walks of life will also journey together with us and welcome our persons with disabilities warmly into our communities, into our workplaces and into our hearts.”

While the task force’s work does not address areas like healthcare cost challenges and support for senior PWDs, Goh said the ministries will continue looking into these issues.

“The report is the start. The work to implement it starts from this point,” he said.

Christine Tan is a correspondent at The Straits Times reporting on social affairs and issues of justice in Singapore.

Special needs/Special education

Ministry of Social and Family Development

Ministry of Manpower

10 月 2 日，31 岁的咖啡师 Caleb Lim 患有自闭症谱系障碍，在 Enabling Village 的 Art Bar 为顾客服务。

《海峡时报》摄影：JASON QUAH

发布于2026年10月4日下午6:00

更新于2026年10月4日下午6:00

到 2030 年，新加坡将通过新的计划和就业支持办公室，加强对残疾人士在教育、就业和社区生活方面的支持。

工作组建议扩大残疾人的工作机会、提供培训补助金并简化雇主激励措施，以改善残疾人的就业安置和留任情况。

其他措施包括制定未来护理计划、提供更便捷的社区服务，以及在学校和工作场所推行包容性举措，以促进独立生活和社会融合。

新加坡——到 2030 年，残疾人士将在人生关键过渡阶段（例如从学校过渡到就业）获得更多支持，相关措施将陆续推出。

特殊教育学校、工艺教育学院和理工学院的学生将接受职场技能和软技能培训，并获得更多工作经验。

国家残疾人服务机构SG Enable将在Lengkok Bahru的Enabling Village设立新的就业支持办公室，以拓展其职业服务，帮助残疾人士和雇主解决就业相关问题。该办公室将于2027年下半年全面投入运营。

其他措施包括支持未来护理计划、培训所有一线综合诊所工作人员照顾智力障碍和自闭症患者，以及扩大社区服务。

这些建议出自残疾人家庭保障工作组于 10 月 4 日发布的 67 页报告。

该工作组成立于2025年12月，旨在审查对残疾人士在各个生命阶段的支持。其建议基于与包括照护者和服务提供者在内的200多人的交流，涵盖三个方面：规划未来、寻找和发展工作以及在社区中安享晚年。

报告称，未来五年，政府承诺平均为每位残疾人士额外增加高达 60% 的支出，以加强对他们及其家庭的支持。

报告指出，对许多家庭来说，毕业后的“18岁后悬崖期”充满不确定性。他们担心亲人能否找到并保住工作，能否独立生活，能否与社区保持联系。

该报告以新加坡构建包容性社会的计划为基础，其中包括旨在加强特殊教育毕业后学校支持的《2030 年赋能总体规划》。

在报告发布前夕，社会及家庭发展部高级政务部长吴佩明在赋能村举行的新闻发布会上表示，学校、工作场所和残疾人设施都提供了支持，但两者之间仍然存在差距。

“在过渡时期，人们的期望可能会落空，家庭或残疾人士会感到有些迷茫，我认为在这方面我们还可以做得更多，”吴说。

吴作栋领导着这个跨部门工作组，其他成员包括四位政界人士。他们分别是：卫生部政务部长拉哈尤·马赫扎姆；社会及家庭发展部高级政务次长蔡志强；人力部高级政务次长黄晓明；以及教育部高级政务次长赛义德·哈伦·阿尔哈布西。

工作困境与支持

就业仍然是残障人士群体面临的一大挑战。目前，新加坡残障居民的就业率为34.7%。新加坡的目标是到2030年将这一比例提高到40%。

一些残疾人士表示，他们发现很难培养沟通等职场技能，而另一些残疾人士则难以找到相关的工作机会。

为了解决这个问题，教育部将在为自闭症学生提供国家课程的特殊教育学校（如Pathlight School）中引入结构化的应用学习和工作实践——例如工作场所学习之旅和工作体验。

教育部表示，这些学校在打好学术基础方面做得很好，但在培养与工作相关的技能方面机会有限。

随着更多特殊教育毕业生升入工艺教育学院和理工学院，过渡支持计划将陆续推出。教育部表示，2023年至2025年间，残疾学生平均每年约占这些院校总入学人数的2%。

19岁的黄莉迪亚（Lydia Wong）是工艺教育学院（ITE）高级技师证书课程的应届毕业生，主修零售和网络商业。她认为工作实践机会增强了她未来就业的信心。（海峡时报摄影：黄淑銮）

19 岁的 Lydia Wong 是 ITE 高级技术证书课程的应届毕业生，主修零售和在线业务。她认为工作实践机会增强了她未来就业的信心。

圣徒照片：吴索銮

19 岁的 Lydia Wong 是 ITE 高级技师课程（Higher Nitec）的应届毕业生，主修零售和在线业务。她认为工作经验增强了她的自信心。

由于语言和运动功能障碍，她难以应对压力或快速完成任务。一位就业指导员和一位善解人意的上司帮助她顺利过渡到零售助理实习岗位。

“有时候，店里会非常忙，我会感到压力很大……（但是我的主管）告诉我不要紧张，慢慢来，一步一步地做，”黄女士说，她希望报读幼儿教育理工学院课程。

如何保障残障人士的就业是另一个令人担忧的问题。人力部2025年的数据显示，只有约四分之一的残障就业居民在同一雇主处工作至少一年。而工作至少七年的残障人士，这一比例更是下降到2.2%。

SG Enable的“学校到工作”项目为特殊教育学校毕业生提供定制化的培训途径和工作选择，该项目参与者的留任率更高。超过四分之三的参与者至少在现有岗位上工作一年。

为了增加更多结构化的途径，SG Enable 将扩大其行业培训安置计划（该计划于 2025 年试点，旨在培训残疾人士从事酒店业工作），并将其扩展到另外五个行业，包括食品饮料、信息通信和技术。

预计从 2026 年到 2030 年，共有 800 名残疾人士将通过该计划获得就业机会。

与此同时，新的就业支持办公室将超越 SG Enable 目前的就业安置服务，提供更长期的技能和职业支持。

SG Enable培训补助金提供的95%课程费用补贴（目前仅适用于专门为残疾人士定制的课程）将扩大到由技能和劳动力发展局认可的培训机构提供的符合条件的主流课程，包括人工智能等热门课程。

为雇主提供新的补助金

为了帮助雇主，就业支持办公室将与行业利益相关者合作，为零售贸易、金融和保险服务等具有较大残疾人就业潜力的行业制定指导手册。这些手册将涵盖如何确定合适的岗位以及如何重新设计工作内容。

工作组还发现，雇主在申请补助金时面临繁琐的流程。因此，现有的三项计划——“开放之门计划工作重组补助金”、“开放之门计划雇主培训补助金”和“雇主发展补助金”——将合并为一项“就业赋能补助金”。

这项补助金的覆盖范围将更广，包括抵消雇主为残障人士定制内部培训的费用。社会及家庭发展部表示，现有的三项计划在2025年已惠及约100家雇主。

雇用“相当比例”中度需求残疾人的企业（无国界医生组织将中度需求残疾人定义为需要持续、结构化支持才能保住工作的人）也可以申请新的受扶持企业赋能补助金。

有了这笔资金，企业就可以聘请培训专员、治疗师和心理学家来支持这些员工。无国界医生组织表示，有关资助要求的更多细节将在稍后公布。

为月收入低于4000新元的残障人士提供工资补贴的“就业扶持补助金”（EEC）将提高收入上限，并增加临时工资补贴的金额和期限。更多详情将于2026年晚些时候公布。

发言人补充说，获得 EEC 的雇主数量从 2021 年的约 6400 家增加到 2025 年的 6800 家。

华侨银行集团人力资源主管李慧文表示，这些举措将帮助企业开始包容性招聘。

李表示，银行面临的最大挑战是说服经理们迈出第一步，因为有些人担心无法提供正确的支持，或者担心新员工能否很好地适应。

但当他们看到这是可行的，他们的看法就发生了转变。华侨银行于2023年3月与SG Enable合作，获得了工作岗位重新设计和培训支持，以及自闭症资源中心等合作伙伴的资源。

这家银行现在聘用一些患有自闭症的人，他们的优势包括注重细节和做事认真负责。许多人被安排在技术和人力资源相关的岗位上。

归属感

社会及家庭发展部高级政务部长吴佩铭（右）于9月17日在Enabling Village会见了TOUCH服务对象Sherman及其母亲吴萍。Sherman患有智力障碍、耳聋、脑瘫和癫痫。（海峡时报摄影：JASON QUAH）

社会及家庭发展部高级政务部长吴佩明（右）于 9 月 17 日在 Enabling Village 会见了 TOUCH 的客户 Sherman（患有智力障碍、耳聋、脑瘫和癫痫）及其母亲吴萍。

家庭将获得更多帮助，以便在财务、住房和健康等领域进行前瞻性思考，未来护理计划将逐步在所有成人残疾服务机构（如日间活动中心和庇护工场）中提供。

到 2028 年，他们为这类服务支付的费用也会减少；到 2030 年，日间活动中心和庇护工场的空间将会增加。

更广泛地说，该报告指出，需要超越照护安排，帮助残疾人士在社区中更加独立地生活。

其建议包括增设八个服务中心，以提升社区支持的可及性。此外，还将在部分综合诊所推行健康沟通护照，方便个人向医护人员表达自身需求。

该报告还概述了加强学校和工作场所残疾人包容性、创建包容性空间以及鼓励公众与残疾人之间进行有意义的互动的努力。

吴先生表示，目标是创建一个让残障人士拥有强烈归属感的社会。“我们希望新加坡各界人士都能与我们携手并进，热情欢迎残障人士融入我们的社区、工作场所和我们的心中。”

虽然工作组的工作并未涉及医疗保健成本挑战和对老年残疾人的支持等领域，但吴表示，各部委将继续研究这些问题。

“这份报告只是一个开始，落实报告内容的工作才刚刚开始，”他说。

克里斯汀·谭是《海峡时报》的记者，报道新加坡的社会事务和司法问题。

特殊需求/特殊教育

社会及家庭发展部

人力部