NGO’s Disability Inclusion Index aims to help Hong Kong firms catch up on hiring front
- CareER founder says local companies currently lag behind multinationals when it comes to hiring those with disabilities, a group facing much higher unemployment rates than overall population
- Funded by Swire Group, the index is also intended to help firms understand better how to reach clients who may face challenges
When Walter Tsui Yu-hang graduated from Chinese University with a degree in economics, he felt good about his chances of landing a job. But it would take more than six months and dozens of interviews before he finally landed a human resources position.
Tsui, who is visually impaired, with only 5 per cent sight, knew his experience was not an isolated one. It ultimately led him to set up CareER in 2013 – a local non-profit organisation dedicated to helping students and graduates with disabilities find jobs.
Over the past eight years, the NGO has helped hundreds of candidates find work, but Tsui says local companies are lagging behind multinationals in the city when it comes to hiring people with disabilities, something he wants to see change.
After obtaining HK$2,400,000 (US$308,000) in funding from the Swire Group in March, the NGO is now developing the city’s first Disability Inclusion Index, an assessment tool aimed at helping companies review what they have done to make their workplaces more inclusive and widening their understanding of how to better reach clients, no matter their physical or mental condition.
The first edition will see at least 25 Hong Kong firms answer questions on topics from recruitment to staff engagement and retention to accessibility and accommodation.
