All applications for Singapore’s Open Door Programme (ODP), between January 2022 to August 2023, were successful, according to the Ministry of Manpower.
As shared, the number of persons with disabilities placed into jobs with support from the ODP – which aims to encourage employers to hire, train, and integrate persons with disabilities – has remained stable at around 500 each year over the last three years (2020 – 2022).
At the same time, qualifying employers automatically get the Enabling Employment Credit (EEC), which helps to support employers financially, without the need for an application. According to the Ministry, from roughly 9,700 in 2021, when the EEC was implemented, the number of disabled people assisted by the EEC climbed to about 10,300 in 2022.
Minister for Manpower Dr. Tan See Leng clarified in a parliamentary response: “Both the ODP and the EEC have been enhanced in recent years.”
In particular, the EEC was strengthened in 2023 to strengthen wage support for the employment of persons with disabilities, particularly those who had not worked for at least six months prior to being hired. The ODP was strengthened in 2020 to strengthen training support through higher course fee subsidies and training allowances.
According to additional information, the average resident employment rate for people with impairments aged 15 to 64 grew from 29.0% to 31.4% between 2020 and 2021.
