Singapore Sets Aside S$30 Million (About $23.4 Million) to Help Employers Hire People With Disabilities

Singapore will start a new Stronger Support Enabling Employment Grant with a budget of around S$30 million (about $23.4 million) to support the first group of enterprises that hire persons with disabilities. Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Ong Ye Kung unveiled it at the Enabling Mark Awards 2026 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Tuesday (Nov 10). The grant is for enterprises that employ a meaningful number of persons with moderate support needs, and it pays a higher level of funding than the standard grant. It sits next to a merged single Enabling Employment Grant in the first half of 2027 and a higher Enabling Employment Credit wage ceiling from 2027. For Metaintro readers with a disability, or caring for someone who has one, this guide covers which employers the money targets, what the current grants pay for, how the wage credit changes, and where to get job support now.

What Is the New Stronger Support Enabling Employment Grant?

The new scheme is called the Stronger Support Enabling Employment Grant, or S-EEG, and the S simply stands for Stronger Support. Ong described it as one more tier above the EEG, the single grant that will replace existing employer grants.

The grant is meant to encourage more employers to create further jobs for persons with disabilities, and it is aimed at firms that employ a meaningful number of persons with moderate support needs.

The government will start the S-EEG with a budget of around S$30 million (about $23.4 million) for the first group of enterprises, then learn from it and consider how Government support for disability employment can be further expanded. The speech text does not set out how much each firm can receive or which costs the S-EEG will cover.

HRD Asia's October coverage of the taskforce plan describes MSF and SG Enable launching a Supported-Enterprise Enabling Grant later this year for enterprises that employ a significant proportion of persons with disabilities with moderate support needs. That grant would fund training officers and allied professionals such as therapists and psychologists, alongside business development support from the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise (raiSE).

When Does the First Call Open, and Who Runs It?

SG Enable will launch the first call for proposals by the end of this year, so the first call is due by the end of 2026. SG Enable is the agency that already runs the Open Door Programme, a government-funded initiative by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and Workforce Singapore (WSG).

A call for proposals invites employers to apply for the money, so it is not a list of open jobs. The government will learn from its implementation and better understand what employers need before deciding what comes next.

Employers face practical challenges, Ong acknowledged. Hiring and supporting persons with disabilities involves additional costs, to redesign roles, provide training, modify the workplace, or put in place additional supervision and professional support. He also named a softer cost, explaining to your customers, asking them to just please be more patient and more understanding.

If we want employers to do more, the Government must be prepared to lean in and help defray some of these costs, Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Ong Ye Kung said, according to the Ministry of Health speech text.

How Will One Enabling Employment Grant Replace Today's Grants?

In the first half of 2027, existing employer grants will be consolidated into a single Enabling Employment Grant, which helps with costs such as redesigning jobs or training. In Ong's words, the change will make support easier to access, and broaden the range of items the grant can be used for.

Three grants are folding into it, namely the Open Door Programme Job Redesign Grant, the Open Door Programme Training Grant for Employers, and the Employer Development Grant. The merger was one of the recommendations of the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities, released by MSF on 4 October.

The change follows employer feedback that firms found it difficult to identify the right grants and cumbersome to file multiple applications. Under the new grant, firms will have greater flexibility to use funding from a single grant for multiple purposes, and it will also cover customised in-house training, more courses for employers and co-workers, and more funding for in-house job coaches.

What Do the Current Open Door Programme Grants Pay For?

On SG Enable's current Open Door Programme page, valid from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028, the existing grants are set out as follows. The Job Redesign Grant subsidises up to 90% of job redesign costs, excluding GST, capped at S$20,000 (about $15,600) for each employee with disability. It can pay for purchase of new equipment, modification of the working environment or processes, and job redesign consultancy costs.

The rules on who counts are specific. The worker must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident certified to have any one of the following permanent disabilities: autism, intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or sensory disabilities (e.g. deafness/hearing loss and visual impairment), with proof such as the latest doctor's memorandum and/or the membership card of a Social Service Agency providing disability services recognised by SG Enable. The employer must be registered as an ODP employer and must not have tapped into other government grants for the same project. The worker must have started work at the time of the application or within 3 months from the approval, and the contract must show a contractual period of at least 1 year. The employer must obtain approval from SG Enable before commencement of the job redesign project, submit the application form by 31 March 2028 and complete the project within 3 months of the approval.

Training is heavily subsidised. Employers can receive 90% to 100% of the course fee subsidies for workplace disability inclusion training, and up to 95% of the course fee subsidy for employees with disabilities on SG Enable-supported courses.

The Employer Development Grant is capped at S$40,000 (about $31,200) for each employer, and can fund appointing an existing employee as an in-house job coach. In its October 2024 fact sheet, MSF expected the grant to contribute towards a target of increasing the number of inclusive employers from over 7,000 at that time to 10,000 by 2030.

How Is the Enabling Employment Credit Changing in 2027?

The Enabling Employment Credit (EEC) is a wage offset given to employers that hire local employees with disabilities. Its enhancements were announced by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua at the Enabling Mark Business Conference 2026, where Chua was the keynote speaker on Tuesday, 10 November.

From 2027, the EEC monthly wage ceiling will increase from S$4,000 (about $3,120) to S$5,000 (about $3,900), in an announcement on the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) scheme page. For hires who have not been working for at least 6 months, the extra support grows in three ways.

• The additional wage offset will increase from 20% to 30%.
• The monthly cap rises from S$400 (about $312) to S$600 (about $470).
• The support period will be extended from 9 to 12 months.

Payouts also speed up. From Jul 2027, EEC payouts will be made quarterly instead of half-yearly, with the first quarterly payout made in Dec 2027, for wages paid from Jul to Sep 2027.

IRAS's current page sets the base offset at up to 20% of the employees' monthly income, capped at S$400 a month for each employee. It covers Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged 13 and above earning a monthly wage below S$4,000, whose employers make timely CPF contributions. The worker must be supported by SG Enable to qualify, and employers do not need to apply for the payouts.

Why Is Singapore Expanding Support for Disability Hiring Now?

The gap is still wide. Just over a third of working-age persons with disabilities are employed in Singapore, and the government has set a target of 40% by 2030.

The trend is upward. The employment rate of resident persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 was 34.7% in 2024 to 2025, up from 28.2% in 2018 to 2019, in Comprehensive Labour Force Survey figures used by the taskforce. In September 2024, MSF gave the 2022/2023 rate as 32.7% in a parliamentary answer.

In the coming years more young persons with disabilities will leave school and step into adulthood, as Special Education enrolment went from about 7,800 students in 2023 to about 9,000 today. Senior Minister of State Goh Pei Ming said school leavers often face uncertainty about finding employment or securing a place in an adult disability service.

For those who need more care, Singapore will add 2,300 places by 2030, bringing total capacity across Day Activity Centres and Sheltered Workshops to 5,800 places. The taskforce also named meaningful and sustained employment as one of its three key shifts.

What Help Can Job Seekers With Disabilities Get Now?

One route runs through SG Enable. For registered employers, its Recruitment and Job Support Services include screening and profiling of persons with disabilities who are suitable for the work environment or job, plus advisory from occupational therapists and job coaches on job matching, workplace accommodation, and accessibility checks. Registered employers also get access to the Inclusive Jobs Portal to post jobs and shortlist profiles.

Support continues after you are hired. In a September 2024 parliamentary answer, MSF explained that under the Open Door Programme, persons with disabilities and employers receive up to one year of job matching, and customised employment support from trained job coaches. At the Enabling Business Hub in Jurong, SG Enable offers vocational assessment, training, job matching, and post-placement support.

A one-stop office is coming. The taskforce recommended a dedicated Employment Support Office (ESO) where workers with disabilities can get career advisory, job placements, understand their strengths and limitations, in remarks by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Shawn Huang on 4 October. It is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2027. From 2028, job support for workers with higher support needs in open employment will run longer than the current one year.

By 2028, SG Enable will set up 12 Enabling Services Hubs across Singapore, a network of touchpoints that connects persons with disabilities and their caregivers to resources, future care planning and community programmes. The speech adds that there can be a further step for people supported by the hubs, which is to help those who are ready find and hold a job.

With the right job design, training and support, persons with disabilities can do meaningful work and make a real contribution, Ong Ye Kung said at the Enabling Mark Awards, according to the Ministry of Health speech text.

Which Employers Are Already Hiring This Way?

Big employers were named on stage. UOB, which also plans graduate places in Singapore over the next year, redesigned jobs so that employees with autism can work effectively in areas such as document digitisation and platform testing, using structured workflows with clear visual instructions. Clear written instructions also come up in what workplaces still get wrong about neurodivergent talent.

Marina Bay Sands made physical changes, lowering card-access readers and computer kiosks, so that call centre agents and analysts who use wheelchairs can work with ease.

Small firms count too. At the AMGD restaurant run by RETA Social Enterprise, there are about 20 persons with disabilities employed there, in roles ranging from packing and food preparation to customer service. At jewellery maker Eden and Elie, Ong watched artisans with disabilities skilfully threading beads by hand.

The list of accredited firms is growing. More than 190 organisations received their Enabling Mark accreditation on Tuesday, which is nearly double the 2024 number. The refreshed Enabling Mark 2.0 framework places greater emphasis on meaningful inclusion outcomes, including retention and career development.

What This Means for Job Seekers With Disabilities, and What Should You Do Next?

The new money is aimed at enterprises that employ a meaningful number of persons with moderate support needs, not at every employer. Any jobs it funds depend on which firms bid and win in the first call for proposals.

The wage credit change comes with start dates set out by IRAS. A longer, larger offset for hires who have not been working for at least 6 months gives employers a direct reason to take on someone with a gap in their record. The full IRAS eligibility rules also cover citizenship or PR status, age, the wage ceiling and on-time CPF contributions, so check them before you raise the credit with an employer.

• Ask about job matching. Under the Open Door Programme, persons with disabilities and employers receive up to one year of job matching.
• Target Enabling Mark employers. Look for employers that hold Enabling Mark accreditation when you build your shortlist.
• Ask about adjustments early. The Job Redesign Grant can pay for new equipment or a changed workspace, so if you meet its eligibility rules, an employer can apply for funding for the change you need.
• Know the timeline. The first S-EEG call is due by the end of this year, and any roles it funds depend on which employers win support.

Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: The best inclusive employers do not wait for the perfect candidate. They redesign the job, then hire. Look for the firms already doing that, and tell them early what support helps you do your best work.

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People Also Asked

Q: What is the Stronger Support Enabling Employment Grant?

A: It is a new grant for enterprises that employ a meaningful number of persons with moderate support needs, paying more than the standard grant, with a budget of around S$30 million (about $23.4 million) for the first group of firms.

Q: When can employers apply for the S-EEG?

A: SG Enable will launch the first call for proposals by the end of this year, meaning by the end of 2026.

Q: How much does the Enabling Employment Credit pay employers?

A: It offsets up to 20% of the employees' monthly income, capped at S$400 (about $312) a month for each employee, and from 2027 the EEC monthly wage ceiling will increase from S$4,000 (about $3,120) to S$5,000 (about $3,900).

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