Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) Acting Deputy Director Lei Lai Keng said yesterday that in the first eight months of this year, 58 job seekers with disabilities had registered with the bureau for employment, while 28 of them have been successfully employed, indicating, according to Lei, that Macau’s overall employment environment has improved.
Lei made the remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony yesterday that awarded prizes to excellent employees with disabilities and to employers who recognise the talent of their staff with disabilities.
The programme, co-organised by the Social Welfare Bureau and the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), which Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) Deputy Director Hoi Va Pou said had witnessed an “encouraging increase” in the number of enterprises participating in the scheme over the years, from 35 to 66 this year, Hoi said. She added: “This has helped the community understand the working abilities of people with disabilities and provide them with more job opportunities.”
The programme awarded 10 outstanding employees with disabilities as well as 66 employers from the public sector, gaming companies, catering, property management companies, social enterprises, associations and schools, with the aim of encouraging more employers to hire people with disabilities, promoting the spirit of cooperation and practising the concept of “equality and inclusion” in the workplace.
During yesterday’s ceremony, Hoi said employees with disabilities are recognised on the basis of their dedication, diligence and good performance at work. “Apart from striving for self-improvement, employees with disabilities also rely on the understanding and support of their families, friends, professional colleagues in service organisations, employers, colleagues and various sectors of the community,” Hoi underlined.
Lei said that the DSAL holds special job matching sessions for residents with disabilities twice a year, and a job matching session would also be held in December, for which the bureau is still seeking employers to participate in. Lei also mentioned that counselling would be provided to people with disabilities to teach them about job interview skills, and that there would also be DSAL personnel available to assess the degree of disability each job seeker has and introduce the appropriate labour market vacancies to him or her.
Awarded employers and excellent employees with disabilities pose for a group photo yesterday during a ceremony jointly held by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) and the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) at the Macau Science Centre (MSC).
