Chief statistician Uzir Mahidin said the survey of 1,830 employers found that 81% of them rated the work ethics of persons with disabilities (PWD) as being comparable to non-disabled employees.

The survey also found that 71.9% of employers believed disabled employees contributed positively to workplace productivity and innovation.

“Almost 22% of employers surveyed currently employ PWD as workers, so there is an increase in inclusivity within Malaysia’s workforce,” Uzir said in a statement.

Among disability categories, persons with physical disabilities recorded the strongest employment participation, with nearly 30% represented in the workforce.

The survey also found that most employers currently with PWD workers commonly employ small numbers, with 83.7% employing between one and five employees. Similarly, 91% of employers who previously hired PWD workers reported employing between one and five of them.

Basic and entry-level jobs remained the most common roles offered to PWD employees, accounting for 31.4% of positions available.

However, employers also cited several barriers to hiring more PWD workers. About 78.6% highlighted difficulties in finding suitable candidates, while 63.3% pointed to the cost of workplace modifications.

The survey also found limited awareness among employers regarding government incentives for hiring PWD workers.

Despite these challenges, support for wider inclusion measures remained high. Uzir said 90.6% of bosses supported the introduction of formal guidelines on PWD employment, while 77.3% backed tailored training programmes based on disability type.

“Holistic collaboration between the government, employers, PWD organisations, and all stakeholders is essential to strengthen the inclusive participation of PWD in the labour market,” he added.

Nearly half of employers surveyed, or 47.5%, said they intended to continue hiring PWD workers in the future.

The survey also found that 86.5% of employed PWD workers possessed official disabled cards.