Special Olympics calls for policies to encourage employment of the disabled

Supporting policies are needed to encourage employers to hire people with intellectual disabilities, in order to counteract the impact of the implementation of a minimum wage on the special community, suggested the Macau Special Olympics’ executive director, Siu Yu Hong.
Mr Siu told reporters yesterday that the current employment conditions for mentally challenged workers are relatively ideal, but he fears that once the minimum wage policy is fully implemented, employers may become less willing to hire them based on a fear that they will not prove cost-effective.
As the minimum wage bill for cleaning personnel and security guards is set to come into force next year, Mr Siu indicated that discussions about it have not mentioned any specific measures which will support disabled and mentally challenged workers.
He therefore urged the government to simultaneously introduce supportive policies that would encourage employers to hire from the vulnerable group during the implementation of the minimum wage, such as providing minimum wage subsidies to employers who employ a worker with disabilities, following the example set by the Australian government. BY