KUALA LUMPUR: Only four ministries have complied with the one-percent employment of Persons with Disabilities (OKU) policy in the public sector, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff said this needed to be improved, and the ministry has identified 168 positions for individuals from the group.
Apart from the ministry, the other three that have complied with the policy were the Home; Defence; and Entrepreneurs Development and Cooperative Ministries, she said.
Earlier, she said the government had set aside allocations to ease the burdens of the disabled especially those whose incomes were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We are carrying out efforts to ensure all ministries and government agencies would provide the opportunity (for the disabled to be employed).
"Through the respective agencies, we are identifying suitable positions to be filled by persons with disabilities," she said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Abdullah Che Mat Nawi (Pas-Tumpat).
Until Oct 14, a total 4,822 OKU had benefitted from the RM500 special payment for three months from September.
This is an addition to other assistance through government initiatives for those who were affected by the pandemic.
"We are also working with the Human Resources Ministry to minimise the number of employees retrenched, including disabled people.
"According to data by the ministry, no reports of persons with disabilities being retrenched have been filed," she said in reply to a supplementary question from Sim Tze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru).
Meanwhile, she said 669 disabled people have registered with the MYFutureJobs portal between January and September this year.
It was reported in 2019 that persons with disabilities make up only 0.31 per cent of the overall 1.26 million government staff.