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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1987
SURVEY ESTABLISHES NEED TO IMPROVE
EMPLOYMENT FOR DISABLED
A MAJOR SURVEY ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE DISABLED IN HONG KONG HAS ESTABLISHED THAT THE OVERALL EMPLOYMENT SITUATION OF THIS GROUP NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED FURTHER.
THE SURVEY ALSO FOUND THAT AVAILABILITY OF JOB OPPORTUNITIES, VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND SPECIAL AIDS; ENVIRONMENT AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISABLED, HAVE AFFECTED THEIR EMPLOYMENT SITUATION.
FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY ARE CONTAINED IN A REPORT WHICH HAS BEEN ENDORSED BY THE REHABILITATION DEVELOPMENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE (RDCC) AND RELEASED TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
THE TERRITORY-WIDE SURVEY THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN HONG KONG WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN AUGUST AND OCTOBER 1986 BY THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE RDCC, USING 3,415 DISABLED AS SAMPLE.
EMPLOYMENT
FIVE DISABILITY GROUPS, THE DEAF, BLIND, PHYSICALLY
HANDICAPPED, MENTALLY HANDICAPPED AND EX-MENTALLY ILL, WERE INCLUDED IN THE SURVEY.
RELEASING THE REPORT AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE EMPLOYMENT SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE RDCC, MR LEE MAN-BAN, SAID THE DISABLED SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED WHERE THEIR DISABILITIES PERMITTED, TO TAKE UP JOBS AND ACHIEVE REHABILITATION AND INTEGRATION THROUGH WORK.
"EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO IMPROVE THE JOB OPPORTUNITIES THE DISABLED IN OPEN AND SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT.
FOR
"MORE ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE PROVIDED TO THEM TO INCREASE THEIR EMPLOYABILITY AND HELP THEM SUSTAIN EMPLOYMENT, MR LEE SAID.
T
AMONG THE RESPONDENTS OF THE SURVEY, 35.7 PER CENT WERE IN OPEN EMPLOYMENT, (THE
(THE MAJORITY OF THEM, ABOUT 92 PER CENT WERE EMPLOYEES) AND 7.5 PER CENT WERE IN SHELTERED WORKSHOPS.
THE REST OF THE SAMPLE COMPRISED UNEMPLOYED JOB-SEEKERS 9.9 PER CENT), UNEMPLOYED NON-JOB SEEKERS (22.1 PER CENT), STUDENTS (10.4 PER CENT), HOME-MAKERS (10.4 PER CENT) AND THE RETIRED (4 PER CENT).
OF THOSE EMPLOYED DISABLED, 89.4 PER CENT OF THEM WERE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE SECTORS AS PRODUCTION, SERVICE OR CLERICAL WORKERS.
VERY FEW OF THE DISABLED EMPLOYEES WERE ENGAGED IN PROFESSIONAL, TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE WORK AND NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF THEM APPEARED NOT SATISFIED AND EXPRESSED AN INTENTION TO CHANGE JOBS, THE REPORT NOTED.
/MR LEE