Speech by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development, at the Singapore Inclusion Summit 2026

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you at the Singapore Inclusion Summit. Today, we are talking about inclusion at work. For me, that begins with something very human: feeling that we belong.

2. Earlier this year, I joined persons with disabilities and their families for a picnic at Marina Barrage. As people exchanged stories and made friends, I was reminded how much it means to be somewhere we can simply be ourselves.

3. That belonging has a place at work too. Having our ideas heard. Joining colleagues for lunch. Knowing someone recognises our potential and will help us grow. These are things many of us value.

4. Getting a job opens a door. What happens after that determines whether someone can build a future there.

5. Under the Enabling Masterplan 2030, we aim to raise the employment rate of resident persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 to 40% by 2030. We have progressed from 28.2% in 2018–2019 to 34.7% in 2024–2025.

6. Behind that progress are people earning an income, developing skills and gaining confidence. Our next challenge is helping them stay, grow and feel part of the team.

7. There is a business case here too. Inclusive hiring gives employers access to talent they might otherwise overlook. A review published in the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation examined 39 studies on hiring persons with disabilities. Among the benefits reported were better staff retention, productivity and innovation.

8. For a bank, different experiences can inform services for different customers. A colleague who encounters accessibility barriers may notice something others have missed.

9. Realising these benefits takes suitable roles, supervisors with the right skills and the right support. It is about something every business understands: helping people perform at their best.

10. Through the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities, we heard families’ concerns about life after school. Would their loved ones find suitable work, receive help through difficulties and have opportunities to keep learning?

11. For me, assurance means knowing that support will remain within reach as life changes. That assurance is important for families and employers alike.

12. We heard employers’ concerns too. Many want to hire persons with disabilities, but are unsure where to start. Which roles could work? What adjustments are needed? Who can help when challenges arise?

13. These are practical questions, and they deserve practical answers. The Taskforce’s recommendations will strengthen support in three ways.

14. First, clearer guidance. SG Enable will establish a new Employment Support Office. Working with employment support and training partners, it will help employers identify suitable opportunities, redesign jobs and make workplace adjustments. Sector-specific playbooks will translate inclusive hiring into practical steps.

15. Second, more accessible funding. We will bring existing employer grants together under a new Enabling Employment Grant, simplifying access to support. It will cover a wider range of workplace accommodations, customised in-house training, training for employers and co-workers, and increased funding for in-house job coaches.

16. The Enabling Employment Credit will also be enhanced to provide stronger wage support for employers hiring persons with disabilities.

17. Third, support that continues beyond hiring. We will strengthen employment support services, including longer support for those with higher work support needs, and help when workplace challenges arise after regular job support has ended.

18. A new supervisor or task can require fresh adjustments. We want employees and employers to have somewhere to turn before a difficulty becomes a reason to leave.

19. These measures will roll out progressively. In the meantime, employers can already approach SG Enable for advice and existing support.

20. Government can help with guidance, funding and services. Within each workplace, leaders, supervisors and colleagues bring inclusion to life.

21. Begin by listening to employees: their aspirations and what helps them work well. Agree on adjustments together. People with the same disability may have different needs.

22. Give people useful feedback, access to training and opportunities to take on greater responsibility. Needing support should not mean being overlooked for growth.

23. Everyday relationships count too: colleagues who explain unfamiliar tasks, supervisors who welcome questions, and teams that include everyone. These help people feel able to ask, learn and contribute.

24. Of course, people have different abilities, aspirations and support needs. A person’s worth does not depend on whether they work. For those who wish and are able to do so, we must give their abilities a fair chance.

25. My invitation to employers is to take one practical step: review a role for redesign, equip a supervisor, or discuss an employee’s career aspirations and the support they need.

26. Thank you to everyone already doing this work, and to those ready to begin.

27. I look forward to the day when a colleague with a disability joining a team, learning a new skill or earning a promotion is simply part of everyday working life.

28. Let us build workplaces where being hired is the start, being supported is part of the culture, and belonging is ordinary.