Disability Discrimination Disaster: Thai Government Agencies Exposed for Shocking Failure in Friendly Hire Quota! Are Differently-Abled Individuals Being Spurned?

The Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act of 2007 stipulates a 100:1 employment quota for people with disabilities in government agencies. However, 2022 data starkly exhibits the failure in its implementation, with the achievement of merely 19% of the set target. A Cabinet resolution has asserted the necessity for government agencies with an employment pool exceeding 100 staff to meet the stipulated disability quota within this year without fail.

Statistical analysis over the last half-decade distinctly reveals a progressive decline in the hiring of disabled individuals. A detailed breakdown of these statistics is as follows:

In 2018, out of the requisite 12,500 differently-abled individuals, there were 10,594 hires, thereby achieving 84.74% of the target.
In 2019, the targeted quota rose to 14,226; however, only 6,257 positions (or 43.98%) were filled.
The year 2020 saw a further drop with fulfillment of only 25.37% (or 3,911 hires) out of the stipulated 15,412.
By 2021, the concerning trend continued with the employment of a mere 20.33% (or 3,582 individuals) out of the targeted 17,622.
Finally, in 2022, the numbers fell to a new low, with 3,488 hires out of the set target of 17,506, accounting for just 19.90%.

Focused scrutiny of these statistics proves that only three ministries were successful in meeting their disability quotas. These include:

The Social Development and Human Security Ministry, which employed 119 disabled persons, going beyond the stipulated 97.
The Transport Ministry, which saw 281 differently-abled hires, exceeding the required figure of 260.
The Labour Ministry, which far surpassed the necessary 135 by employing 179 disabled persons.

In stark contrast, five government agencies severely underperformed in their quota goals. These are:

The Education Ministry, where only 66 out of the required 4,461 positions were filled.
The Public Health Ministry, with a mere 510 hires out of the required 2,692.
The Royal Thai Police, which could meet only 41 out of the stipulated 2,146.
Other state agencies, with a disappointing tally of 393 hires out of the required 2,073.
Local administrative organisations, which hired only 104 out of the targeted 1,382.

Clearly, the statistics indicate an alarming trend that needs to be promptly addressed, highlighting the importance of adhering to and enforcing the provisions of the 2007 Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act.