A Singapore taskforce is looking at ways to increase the employment rate of people with disabilities (PWD), reports The Straits Times. In its recommendations, the taskforce laid out plans to grow the pool of inclusive employers, expand employment opportunities for PWDs and better equip job coaches. The government aims to increase the number of inclusive employers from more than 7,000 today to 10,000 by 2030, of which 30 per cent, or 3,000, will hire more than one PWD each. An estimated 4,500 more people with disabilities (PWDs) in Singapore are expected to have jobs by 2030.

Currently, close to four in five inclusive employers hire only one PWD, and can scale up efforts to hire more of them, said the task force. As of now, the pool of 7,000 employers hire around 16,000 PWDs.

The recommendations by the Taskforce on Promoting Inclusive Employment Practices also include tapping gig work as a stepping stone for PWDs to join the workforce, and better equipping job coaches.

The task force proposed to identify and develop companies to be inclusive, hiring “champions” in key sectors so that they can engage and inspire others to do the same. The focus will be on six sectors that have hired PWDs or have growing potential of job opportunities for them. These sectors are: food and beverage services, retail trade, information and communications, health and social services, transport and storage, as well as financial and insurance services.