Government Support

Training and Retraining

To assist persons with disabilities to secure employment in the open market, there are different organisations and groups in Hong Kong that provide training and retraining to equip persons with disabilities with the necessary skills to secure employment.

Service / Scheme	Content
Work Orientation and Placement Scheme (WOPS) of the Labour Department's Selective Placement Division (SPD) - Pre-employment Training	The employment consultants of the SPD will advise job seekers with disabilities to take part in a short-term pre-employment training programme under WOPS with a view to enhancing their chance of employment with the participating employers. On completion of the pre-employment training, they will receive a training allowance of $80 per day of training.
Employees Retraining Board	The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) offers courses that are market-driven and employment-oriented so as to meet the changing needs of the employment market. For persons with disabilities and persons recovered from work injuries who constitute one of its special target groups, the ERB provides courses that aim at helping the trainees integrate into the community and achieve self-reliance.
Shine Skills Centre of the Vocational Training Council Group	The Centre offers vocational education and skills training to persons aged 15 or above with special educational needs to help enhancing their employability and realising their potentials.
Integrated Vocational Training Centre	The Centre is set up to provide persons with disabilities with comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services characterised with structured vocational skill training that aim at assisting them in achieving open employment and developing their potentials.
Integrated Vocational Rehabilitation Services Centre	The Centre is set up to provide one-stop seamless integrated vocational rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities. Through work training that is specially designed to accommodate the limitations arising from their disabilities, the trainees are well prepared for potential advancement to open employment.
Supported Employment	The service provides support for persons with disabilities in employment so that they can work in an integrated open setting with necessary support services.
Sheltered Workshop	The Workshop provides persons with disabilities who are not able to enter into open employment with appropriate vocational training in a specially designed environment. Its ultimate aim is to enhance their working capacity in order that they can move on to supported or open employment wherever possible.

Subsidies to Employer

The Government has launched various schemes and programmes to encourage employers to employ persons with disabilities.

Programme	Government Department	Allowances / Subsidies
Work Orientation and Placement Scheme	Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department	An eligible participating employer will be granted an allowance up to $60,000 in total for employing each person with disabilities having employment difficulties (including those having difficulties to secure jobs commensurate with their qualifications and/ or job preference or those having difficulties staying in employment) within an allowance period up to nine months. A Mentor, assigned by the employer, who has successfully assisted an employee to continue with employment after the first three months of employment will be granted a Cash Award of $1,500.
Supported Employment	Social Welfare Department (Facilitator: the appointed service operator)	The employer can try out the work abilities of the participant through job trial. During the job trial period, the employer will receive a wage subsidy equal to 50% of the actual wage paid to each participant with a ceiling of $4,000 a month, whichever is the lower, for a maximum period of 6 months.
On the Job Training Programme for Persons with Disabilities	Social Welfare Department (Facilitator: the designated subvented vocational service providers)	The employer can try out the work abilities of the participants through job trial. During the job trial period, the employer will receive a wage subsidy equal to 50% of the actual wage paid to each participant with a ceiling of $4,000 a month, whichever is the lower, for a maximum period of 6 months.
Sunnyway - On the Job Training Programme for Young Persons with Disabilities	Social Welfare Department (Facilitator: the designated subvented vocational service providers)	The employer can try out the work abilities of the participants through job trial. During the job trial period, the employer will receive a wage subsidy equal to 50% of the actual wage paid to each participant with a ceiling of $4,000 a month, whichever is the lower, for a maximum period of 6 months.
Financial Incentive Scheme for Mentors of Employees with Disabilities	Social Welfare Department (Facilitator: supported employment service, integrated vocational rehabilitation services centre, integrated vocational training centre, On the Job Training Programme for Persons with disabilities and Sunnyway – On the Job Training Programme for Young Persons with disabilities)	An eligible mentor is appointed by the employer for rendeing workplace support and assistance to an employee with disabilities who should be referred by an NGO operating subvented vocational rehabilitation services. An incentive pay with a maximum total amount of $1,000 for a mentor (for a maximum period of 2 months and the mentoring period should start within the first 3 months of the employment of the employee with disabilities)
Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities	Social Welfare Department (Administrator: Po Leung Kuk)	An eligible employer of persons with disabilities can apply for a one-off subsidy at a maximum amount of $40,000 in respect of each employee with disabilities for procurement of assistive devices and/or carrying out workplace modifications.

Government Initiatives to Promote Employment of Persons with disabilities

To encourage persons with disabilities to secure employment, the Government has launched a host of schemes to promote employment of persons with disabilities.

Pilot scheme on providing subsidy for Higher Disability Allowance (HDA) recipients in paid employment to hire carers

Funding Provision	Remarks
The Community Care Fund (CCF) has launched the Pilot Scheme to provide a monthly subsidy of $5,000 for HDA recipients engaged in paid employment to hire carers with a view to encouraging them to sustain employment.	The monthly income of an applicant must not be less than $7,500 and not exceeding $30,000 (not applicable to persons engaged in self-employment or working from home). The Pilot Scheme was launched in October 2016 for a duration of 3 years and extended for 12 months in October 2019. The CCF has extended the Pilot Scheme under the current mode of operation for 36 months till end-September 2023 to continue to provide the subsidy for existing beneficiaries provided they continue to meet the eligibility criteria. The application for the Pilot Scheme was closed on 31 March 2018.
Enquiries：Social Welfare Department Telephone：3422 3090

Funding Provision

Remarks

The Community Care Fund (CCF) has launched the Pilot Scheme to provide a monthly subsidy of $5,000 for HDA recipients engaged in paid employment to hire carers with a view to encouraging them to sustain employment.

The monthly income of an applicant must not be less than $7,500 and not exceeding $30,000 (not applicable to persons engaged in self-employment or working from home).
The Pilot Scheme was launched in October 2016 for a duration of 3 years and extended for 12 months in October 2019. The CCF has extended the Pilot Scheme under the current mode of operation for 36 months till end-September 2023 to continue to provide the subsidy for existing beneficiaries provided they continue to meet the eligibility criteria. The application for the Pilot Scheme was closed on 31 March 2018.

Enquiries：Social Welfare Department

Telephone：3422 3090

Raising the maximum level of disregarded earnings for recipients with disabilities under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme

Funding Provision	Remarks
The Community Care Fund (CCF) has launched the Pilot Scheme in October 2016 to raise the maximum level of disregarded earnings with the aim of encouraging recipients with disabilities under the CSSA Scheme who are currently employed to look for jobs with higher salaries, and those who are currently unemployed to join the labour force. Under the Pilot Scheme, the maximum level of disregarded earnings (DE) is raised such that the first $1,200 of the monthly earnings from employment of a disabled CSSA recipient will be totally disregarded, while up to half of the next $5,600 of his/her earnings (i.e. $2,800) will also be disregarded, adding up to a total DE of $4,000 per month at the maximum.	The Pilot Scheme was regularised in February 2021.
Enquiries：Social Welfare Department Telephone：3422 3090

Funding Provision

Remarks

The Community Care Fund (CCF) has launched the Pilot Scheme in October 2016 to raise the maximum level of disregarded earnings with the aim of encouraging recipients with disabilities under the CSSA Scheme who are currently employed to look for jobs with higher salaries, and those who are currently unemployed to join the labour force.
Under the Pilot Scheme, the maximum level of disregarded earnings (DE) is raised such that the first $1,200 of the monthly earnings from employment of a disabled CSSA recipient will be totally disregarded, while up to half of the next $5,600 of his/her earnings (i.e. $2,800) will also be disregarded, adding up to a total DE of $4,000 per month at the maximum.

The Pilot Scheme was regularised in February 2021.

Enquiries：Social Welfare Department

Telephone：3422 3090

Service/Scheme under the Selective Placement Division (SPD) of the Labour Department

Service / Scheme	Content
Retention Allowance Scheme	With effect from September 2020, SPD provides a retention allowance to persons with disabilities on a pilot basis to encourage them to stay longer in their jobs, thereby stabling employment. An employee with disabilities will be offered a retention allowance of $3,000 if he/she stays in the job referred by SPD for 3 months. Thereafter, the employee will receive an additional allowance of $1,000 for each ensuing month when he/she stays in the same job. The maximum payment period is 9 months in total. If the employee with disabilities is engaged in a job with less than 15 working hours per week, he/she will be granted a retention allowance of $500 per month.
Counselling Scheme for Persons with Disabilities	To strengthen employment support services for job seekers with disabilities, SPD has launched the Counselling Scheme on 1 September 2016 and engaged a non-governmental welfare organisation to provide professional psychological and emotional counselling services for needy job seekers with disabilities. The Counselling Scheme serves to alleviate emotional problems of job seekers with disabilities arising from the state of their disabilities or their personal or family matters, so as to help them concentrate on job hunting and settle in their new jobs promptly, thereby realizing their potentials in employment.
Enquiries：Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department Telephone：2852 4890

Service / Scheme

Content

Retention Allowance Scheme

With effect from September 2020, SPD provides a retention allowance to persons with disabilities on a pilot basis to encourage them to stay longer in their jobs, thereby stabling employment. An employee with disabilities will be offered a retention allowance of $3,000 if he/she stays in the job referred by SPD for 3 months. Thereafter, the employee will receive an additional allowance of $1,000 for each ensuing month when he/she stays in the same job. The maximum payment period is 9 months in total. If the employee with disabilities is engaged in a job with less than 15 working hours per week, he/she will be granted a retention allowance of $500 per month.

Counselling Scheme for Persons with Disabilities

To strengthen employment support services for job seekers with disabilities, SPD has launched the Counselling Scheme on 1 September 2016 and engaged a non-governmental welfare organisation to provide professional psychological and emotional counselling services for needy job seekers with disabilities. The Counselling Scheme serves to alleviate emotional problems of job seekers with disabilities arising from the state of their disabilities or their personal or family matters, so as to help them concentrate on job hunting and settle in their new jobs promptly, thereby realizing their potentials in employment.

Enquiries：Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department

Telephone：2852 4890

Job Hunting Guide

The booklet “Self-learning Kit for People with Disabilities – Key of Success to Open Employment” published by the Labour Department aims at assisting persons with disabilities to acquaint with the different steps in job hunting as well as to grasp the basic skills in securing an employment. Through this booklet, it is hoped to inspire job-seekers with disabilities to flexibly utilise different channels and resources in looking for a suitable job, and to help them grasp the job-hunting skills as well as to draw up clear strategies in job hunting and employment so as to achieve the goal of securing successful employment.

Enquiries：Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department

Website:
“Self-learning Kit for People with Disabilities – Key of Success to Open Employment”

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