Fact Sheet on the Employer Development Grant

In September 2024, the Enabling Masterplan 2030 (EMP2030) Taskforce on Promoting Inclusive Employment Practices (TIE) released its recommendations to bolster inclusive employment of persons with disabilities. A key recommendation was to grow and develop capabilities of inclusive employers by:

• Enhancing support to build up employers’ in-house capabilities to implement inclusive hiring practices, including providing funding support for them to do so; and

   

• Expanding the pool of inclusive hiring champions to advocate for inclusive hiring practices in target sectors.

   

  In line with the TIE’s recommendations, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will be introducing a new Employer Development Grant as part of the existing Open Door Programme (ODP). This grant aims to assist employers in offering part of the costs of implementing inclusive hiring practices within their organisations. This will contribute towards our target of increasing the number of inclusive employers from over 7,000 today to 10,000 by 2030, of which 30% will hire more than one employee with disability.

  
  

The primary aim of the grant is to empower employers build up their inclusive hiring capabilities. This will enable them to expand their efforts to employ more persons with disabilities and support their long-term retention.

Employers may receive up to $40,000, depending on the number of new hires with disabilities, to help cover part of the cost of initiatives aimed at developing their in-house inclusive hiring capabilities. This could include appointing, hiring or engaging an inclusive workplace champion or in-house job coach to put in place inclusive hiring practices.

Applications for this grant will open on 1 January 2025. Further details, including the eligibility criteria and application process, will be provided later this year. 

Employers can tap on other existing grants under the Open Door Programme (ODP), which help to support the cost of job redesign, workplace modifications, and course fee subsidies for courses that prepare employers and their employees without disabilities to interact, hire, integrate and retain employees with disabilities in their organisation. These include:

• Job Redesign Grant supports up to 90% of job redesign costs, capped at $20,000 per employee with disability, whichever is lower. The grant supports employers to redesign the job, purchase new equipment or modify the workplace to be more conducive for persons with disabilities.

   

• Training Grant for employers provides course fee support of up to 90% for employers and co-workers without disabilities attend workshops that prepare employers and their employees without disabilities to interact with, hire, integrate and retain employees with disabilities in their organisation.

  
  

1. How long will the grant be available for?

    

   The Employer Development Grant will be available for two years, starting 1 January 2025. As it is a new initiative, MSF will review the outcomes after the two-year period. Based on this review, we will decide on future steps, such as whether it should be continued or if changes need to be made to its parameters.

    

2. How many companies/applicants are you expecting to apply?

    

   We hope to see strong participation from companies as this grant will help them enhance their inclusive hiring capabilities. By doing so, they can expand their efforts to hire and retain their employees with disabilities.

    

3. How would persons with disabilities stand to benefit from this funding push?
   The grant will strengthen employers’ capabilities to hire, integrate, and retain employees with disabilities. For example, companies could use the funding to appoint dedicated staff experienced in inclusive hiring, such as in-house job coaches or HR professionals, to develop and implement policies that foster inclusive workplaces.  These staff can be equipped with disability awareness and inclusive hiring practices and resources, allowing them to partner effectively with partner hiring managers to recruit and support employees with disabilities.