China

Disability Definition

According to the 2008 Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Disabled Persons, a person with disabilities is defined as “one who has abnormalities of loss of a certain organ or function, psychologically or physiologically, or in anatomical structure and has lost wholly or in part the ability to perform an activity in the way considered normal.”

Employer Legal Requirements

The Chinese government set a minimum quota of disabled employees that a company must hire. The national average is 1.5 percent of a firm’s workforce, but the rate can differ by province. The quota does not apply to companies under three years old and with a workforce of less than 20.

The State shall implement preferential tax treatment, according to law, for enterprises and employers who have fulfilled or over fulfilled their quota obligations to employ workers with disabilities.

References: China_Law-of-the-Peoples-Republic-of-China-on-the-Protection-of-Persons-with-Disabilities.pdf (un.org) and Hiring Disabled Workers in China: Incentives and Challenges – China Business Review

Cultural Norms

In China, people with disabilities are affected by stereotypes and face bias and discrimination in the society. The culture is heavily influenced by religion and beliefs of reincarnation, which can contribute to negative perception of disability.

The gap of living condition between disabled persons and others is growing bigger. Poverty remains as a key obstacle in the development of disabled persons. People with disabilities lack of opportunities to access to employment, education, vocation training, and social security.

Reference: ChinaSource | Disability and the Three Traditional Chinese Belief Systems

Insights

In 2006, the total population of people with disabilities reached 82.96 million, or 6.34% of the total Chinese population. This number grew to approximately 85 million in 2018.

Only 9m of the country’s estimated 85m disabled citizens (approximately 6.5 per cent of the country’s population) are employed, according to the China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF), a state organisation. (May 2018 report)

The disabled population in urban areas accounted for 20.71 million, or 24.96%; the disabled population in rural areas 62.25 million, or 75.04%.

In 2007, there were 3127 employment service agencies at different levels helping 300,000 people with disabilities annually. These agencies have received financial support from the government and local communities, and provided services ranging from practical job-oriented vocational training to employment matching and consultation for people with disabilities seeking jobs.

Reference: ChinaSource | A Glance at People with Disabilities in China

Talent Sourcing Resources

China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF) The CDPF, established in 1988, is a unified organization of/for the 83 million persons with various categories of disabilities in China. It has a nationwide umbrella network reaching every part of China with about 90,000 fulltime workers and 400,000 part-time workers. The CDPF performs three functions:

1. represent interests of people with disabilities in China and help protect their legitimate rights;
2. provide comprehensive and effective services to disabled people; and
   commissioned by the Chinese government to supervise affairs relating to people with disabilities in China.
3. The CDPF is committed to promote the humanitarianism, the human rights of people with disabilities, and the integration of people with disabilities in all aspects. Learn more and contact information.

Reference: China Disabled Persons’ Federation- UPR Review on Disability Rights- China- Feb (ohchr.org)

References

ILO Facts on People with Disabilities in China: China Disability Factsheet v1-Allie (003) (ilo.org)