Researchers at the University of Hong Kong tell forum that opportunities are out there, but linking the right candidate with the right job is a challenge
Hong Kong should commission a consultancy to explore and compile a list of professions that might be available for the intellectually disabled to help tackle the low employment rate among the group, experts have said.
The idea was promoted at a forum last week during which advocates, researchers and employers discussed ways to increase opportunities for the marginalised minority.
Only 8 per cent of 276 school leavers from special needs institutions in the 2014-15 academic year who had a mild intellectual disability went on to find work, according to official figures.
In the United States the employment rate for intellectually disabled people aged between 21 and 64 was 34 per cent in a 2013 study.
Dr Elaine Chan Yee-man, honorary associate professor at the University of Hong Kong’s department of politics and public administration, said a list of available occupations would increase awareness of the opportunities available.
She recommended officials or NGOs set up an online job search platform linking jobseekers, their parents and employers.
The government should also fund the employment and training of job coaches to help with interview preparation and matching applicants with suitable positions, she said.
Social workers already undertook some of this work, Chan added, but there was a shortage, and job coaches could receive specialised training.
“Abundant evidence from overseas has shown that with the right support, even those with severe disabilities can get a job on the open market,” she said.
Her recommendations come ahead of the release of a new Rehabilitation Programme Plan – last reviewed in 2007 – setting out the government’s strategic direction and ideas to address the needs of Hongkongers with disabilities.
