1,450 physically challenged people hired by private sector under govt project
A drive by the Department of Employment to secure employment for physically challenged people in private firms has proved a great success with 1,450 people getting hired, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said.
Suchart disclosed the figures on Tuesday when he led senior officials from his ministry, representatives of private firms that joined the project and some disabled people hired by the firms to meet Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House.
Suchart said the project was initiated by the prime minister and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who supervises the Labour Ministry.
Suchart said the two wanted the Labour Ministry to create employment chances for the sensitive group of physically challenge people so that they could have better quality of life and could depend on themselves.
Suchart said the department had targeted 1,000 jobs for the disabled in 2023, but 1,450 people had already been hired, 45 per cent better than the target.
The project would generate a total of Bt165.65 million in income for the 1,450 people, Suchart said.
He said 187 companies supported the project. They included: Kasikornbank Plc, Italian-Thai Development Plc, Cal-Comp Electronics (Thailand) Plc, Adecco Thailand and Guardforce Thailand.
Suchart said the 187 companies have changed their role from contributing to the fund for promoting and developing the quality of life of the disabled to providing employment chances.
Pairote Chotikasathien, director-general of the department, said more companies would be welcome to join the project.
The disabled people would not be working in the firms but they would be employed to provide public services in communities near their homes with the companies paying their salaries, Pairote explained.
The places suitable for hiring physically challenged people included tambon hospitals, schools, public nurseries, and disabled rehabilitation centres, the director-general added.