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- Nearly 81% of employers say persons with disabilities have a work ethic on par with other employees, with 71.9% citing productivity and innovation gains.
- Close to 22% of employers currently hire persons with disabilities, while 47.5% plan to continue doing so.
- Key barriers remain, including candidate shortages and workplace modification costs, but over 90% support clearer hiring guidelines.
Employers in Malaysia are increasingly recognising the contribution of persons with disabilities (orang kurang upaya, or OKU) in the workplace, according to the newly released Study on Employment of Persons with Disabilities in Malaysia by Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The study, conducted in 2025 and released on 28 May 2026, gathered responses from 1,830 employers nationwide.
Among the key findings, almost 81% of employers said the work ethic of persons with disabilities was comparable to that of other employees. Meanwhile, 71.9% said OKU workers contribute to productivity and innovation within organisations.
Dato’ Sri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, Chief Statistician of Malaysia said almost 22% of employers surveyed employ OKU workers, reflecting employers’ commitment towards increasing the involvement of the group in the labour market.
The findings, he added, also reflected growing employer awareness of workforce diversity, supported by the achievement of almost 30% employment among physically disabled workers.
Employers remain open to inclusive hiring
The study further found that almost 91% of employers who have hired persons with disabilities created employment opportunities for between one and five employees.
In addition, almost half of employers, or 47.5%, expressed their intention to continue employing persons with disabilities in the future, indicating continued willingness to expand employment opportunities for the group.
Among employers currently employing persons with disabilities, 83.7% reported having between one and five employees with disabilities in their organisations.
Meanwhile, basic worker positions remained the top choice at 31.4%, indicating that employment opportunities for persons with disabilities are growing, particularly in sectors requiring basic manpower.
The study also found that 86.5% of employed persons with disabilities have an OKU Card as official confirmation of disability.
Employers face hiring and workplace accessibility challenges
At the same time, employers surveyed highlighted several challenges related to inclusive hiring and workplace accessibility.
Among the key challenges identified were difficulties finding suitable candidates, cited by 78.6% of employers, followed by the cost of modifying workplaces to become disability-friendly, reported by 63.3%.
The report also noted that employer awareness regarding the benefits and incentives of employing persons with disabilities still needs to be improved.
At the same time, the findings showed strong support for more structured inclusive employment practices. A majority of employers, of 90.6%, supported the creation of specific guidelines on employing persons with disabilities, while 77.3% agreed that training should be tailored according to the type of disability.
Stronger collaboration needed to support inclusive employment
As DOSM highlighted, holistic collaboration between the government, employers, disabled persons’ organisations, and other stakeholders is essential to strengthen inclusive participation of persons with disabilities in the labour market and support the country’s socio-economic development.
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