POLICY FAILURES OF SINGAPORE’S INCLUSIVE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES The inaccessibility of persons with disabilities to the labour market in Singapore

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to understand why the employment rate of persons with disabilities in Singapore is significantly low despite its extensive and generous inclusive employment programmes and the ratification and implementation of the UNCRPD; are these policy failures, what are the possible gaps in the inclusive employment policies and how does it comply with the UNCRPD Article 27 of Work and Employment. These questions are answered through the theoretical lens of policy failure and inclusive employment, and applying the policy failure measures as set forth by McConnell’s “criteria of policy success and failure” as well as an in-depth analysis of the inclusive employment policies’ eligibility criteria. The thesis found evidence that points to the failure of Singapore’s inclusive employment policies namely the Open Door Programme and the Special Employment Credit scheme, and restrictive eligibility criteria for both employers and persons with disabilities hampering Singapore’s progress towards inclusive employment. It is argued in this thesis that the inclusive employment programmes of Singapore are designed in such a way that is oppressive rather than inclusive.