Walter (Mr Walter TSUI, CEO, CareER)

Distinguished guests and friends,

It’s an honour to be here with you all this morning for the Disability Inclusion Index Forum 2025. The Forum and the Inclusive Recruitment Fair are CareER’s flagship events to promote disability inclusion in Hong Kong. Their growth and success over the years is no doubt due to the dedication and efforts of Walter and his team. This year, the event is even more significant, as 2025 also marks the 10th anniversary of CareER. From providing a platform for people with disabilities to showcase their talents, to enlisting a growing number of businesses and organisations to implement and advocate for disability inclusion in the workplace, it’s difficult to overstate the profound impact CareER has had in reshaping the equality landscape in our city over the past decade. I want to take this opportunity to give my heartiest congratulations to Walter and his team for all their achievements and for reaching this monumental milestone.

As we heard in the two panel sharing sessions just now, when companies and organisations embrace the values of diversity and inclusion in their talent strategy, it can transform lives. Providing opportunities for people with diverse abilities to make a living is, of course, an important reason why inclusion in employment matters. But a job means much more than a pay cheque. Employment provides a sense of purpose and meaning for individuals. It’s essential for establishing social connections, developing an overall sense of wellbeing and creating a foundation for personal identity and dignity.

Beyond empowering individuals, placing the value of disability inclusion at the heart of recruitment and talent strategies can also bring transformational impact at the organisational level. According to a study by a local NGO, over half of the respondents who have worked with people with disabilities felt that colleagues with diverse abilities are positive influences in their workplaces. Not only did they report that their colleagues with disabilities bring unique skills to the table, but their resilience often inspires those around them to reach new heights as well.  I’m sure many of you here today can also attest to this.

At the broader societal level, talent remains a precious commodity here in Hong Kong, with official forecast anticipating that manpower shortage will more than triple from 2023 to 2028. As the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is almost double that of the general population, it’s clear that we are still not utilising the talent pool within our community to its full potential. The work that CareER and many companies here today are doing to promote the employment of diverse talent is certainly key to rectifying the situation and ensuring the continuous growth of our city.

Eliminating the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in our society is a top priority for the Equal Opportunities Commission. Through training and seminars, we offer recommendations to employers in diverse sectors on ways to provide reasonable accommodation for employees in the workplace. Earlier this month, we also launched the second Universal Design Award Scheme, which includes office spaces as one of its award categories to recognise organisations that adopt universal design practices to accommodate people with diverse needs. By giving a platform for organisations and businesses to share best practices and concrete examples in improving accessibility, we hope to encourage more employers to follow suit and take proactive steps in ensuring equal social participation for all.

When it comes to creating social and cultural change, actions speak louder than words. Therefore, I want to thank all the organisations receiving the Disability Inclusive Employer Badge today for embracing the challenge of turning the vision of an inclusive and diverse workplace into reality. Your commitment to maximising the potential of individuals with diverse abilities will inspire your peers in your respective industries to become our allies, paving the way for advancing disability inclusion in the broader community.

Congratulations once again to CareER for reaching the 10th anniversary milestone and for organising this meaningful event. Advancing equality is always a collective endeavour, so let’s join hands and move forward together in creating an equal and inclusive society for all.

Thank you.