The Ministry of Labour responded to the Prime Minister’s policy and teamed up with private enterprises to implement a project to promote the employment of people with disabilities for 2022, creating job opportunities for people with disabilities and generating over 600 million Baht.
On March 1, 2022, at the Santi Maitri Building, Government Houses, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin led the Ministry of Labour’s executives, employers from the private sector, and persons with disabilities to participate in the Social Disability Employment Promotion Project 2022. They met with Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the Ministry of Labour, to express gratitude for the project that promotes people with disabilities to have jobs and builds social equality. Deputy Prime Minister General Anupong Paojinda, Permanent Secretary of Labour, Mr. Boonchob Suttamanaswong, the Department of Employment’s Director-General Pairoj Chotiksetian, and the committee joined the occasion. Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin revealed that Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the Ministry of Labour, give importance to driving the country towards “stability, prosperity, and sustainability” without leaving anyone behind. The Ministry of Labour is prepared to respond to government policies under the national strategy to create opportunities and social equality and eliminate inequality. It focuses on creating opportunities for people from vulnerable groups and people with disabilities to have social security and improved quality of life and for vulnerable groups to have a better quality of life and be self-reliant. The initiative benefits families, communities, and societies. The project to promote the employment of socially disabled people in 2022 is another project by the Ministry of Labour’s Department of Employment that aims to create opportunities for people with disabilities to have jobs and receive direct income from work. Originally, the employment target was set for 1,000 persons with disabilities in contracting services, but the project has now employed 1,450 persons with disabilities, exceeding the target by 45 percent. The project has resulted in income for people with disabilities valued at 165,655,250 Baht per year. It is prepared to expand the employment of people with disabilities to increase by 20 percent annually in jobs and income within four years.
“Thank you for the cooperation of 187 private enterprises such as Kasikorn Bank PCL, Italian-Thai Development PCL, Cal-Comp Electronics PCL (Thailand), Phetchaburi Branch, and Samut Sakhon Branch, Adecco Thailand Group, and Guardforce Security (Thailand) Co., Ltd. The companies switched from contributing to the Persons with Disabilities Empowerment Fund under Section 34 to giving rights to persons with disabilities or caregivers of people with disabilities under Section 35. This success was made possible by the contributions of all sectors, including the government, the private sector, and the local community, that is open to new approaches as a stepping stone to the elimination of social inequality,” said the Labour Minister.
The Department of Employment’s Director-General Pairoj Chotikasathian said the Department of Employment received the Labour Minister’s instructions to invite employers and establishments contributing to the Persons with Disabilities Empowerment Fund under Section 34 to proceed with the granting of rights to persons with disabilities or their caregivers under Section 35 by employing persons with disabilities as employees to perform supporting work in public benefit services within nearby communities, such as the subdistrict health promotion hospitals, schools, and children’s Center, vocational rehabilitation centers for persons with disabilities, service centers for persons with disabilities, and the municipality and subdistrict administrative organizations. This will help people with disabilities in remote areas get career opportunities to have a job and be self-reliant, on par with other people. A total of 1,450 people with disabilities participated in the project, most of whom were handicapped in terms of mobility of physicality, hearing or communicating, intellect, and visual and learning. They work in positions of general administrative staff, cleaning staff, and gardeners, for example. The top three public service units ready to accept people with disabilities are subdistrict health promotion hospitals, subdistrict administrative organizations, and schools.
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Division of Public Relations
1 March 2022
