Landing a job in Hong Kong is not as easy as it used to be, but for many of the territory's disabled, things just might be starting to pick up.

A project under the Social Welfare Department is enhancing the employability of the physically and mentally disabled by providing them with practical training through shelter workshops around the territory.

Tiffana Chow, general manager of the Marketing consultancy Office (Rehabilitation) which is driving the programme under the SWD, said considerable progress has been made since the office was set up in March last year.

To date, job orders for 344 contacts, valued at HK$1.8 million, have been secured. It has also found 37 full-time jobs, 77 part-time jobs, and won tender contracts worth HK$3.8 million.

Many of the jobs involve simple, often monotonous tasks, which are ideally suited to the handicapped. But she stresses these jobs are not charitable positions from kind-hearted companies, but practical solutions for companies' needs.

For example, one of the trainees worked on a trial project to clean police vehicles. Officers at the police station where the trainee worked were delighted with his work and decided to give him a full-time job.

Similarly, at Ferrari's showroom, a mentally handicapped person has turned out to the best cleaner the company has ever hired to keep its vehicles glistening in the showroom.

"Most people ordinarily do not want to do these repetitive jobs, but for the mentally disabled, such jobs give them a sense of motivation and job satisfaction," Ms Chow said.

Employers benefit because disabled employees are much less likely to change jobs, and therefore reduce companies' recruitment and training costs.

Besides helping the disabled find jobs, Ms Chow said her office also helps them set up their own business, and market handicrafts made by disabled people through shops and at Hong Kong Airport. Products include everything from greeting cards to mini-sushi ornaments. Some of the products promoted in TDC's showroom have even attracted the interest of international buyers.

To encourage companies to see if disabled employees can benefit their business, an allowance of up to $3,000 will be paid to private sector employers providing job trials.

Though Ms Chow concedes that a physically or mentally challenged employee is not able to do all the things that might be asked of a regular employee, by carefully choosing their duties, their disability more often than not does not impede their work.

"For companies that need to hire part-time staff every month to do letter-shopping, for example, disable workers are a cost effective and reliable solution," she said.