Employment of people with disabilities in Saga prefecture falls by 10.2%, first decrease in 12 years

From The Saga Shimbun

July 6 2021

SAGA – The number of employment of persons with disabilities in FY2020 through Hello Work in Saga Prefecture was 902, a decrease of 10.2% from the previous year, the first decrease in 12 years since FY2008, which was greatly shaken by the economic slowdown caused by the Lehman shock. The Saga Labor Bureau analyzed that the background is that the number of job offers from industries where people with disabilities are likely to find employment, such as manufacturing, wholesale and retail, has decreased due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection.

The breakdown was 258 cases for persons with physical disabilities, a decrease of 19.1% from the previous year, 174 cases for persons with intellectual disabilities, a decrease of 13.9%, and 390 cases for persons with mental disabilities, a decrease of 7.8%.

The employment rate, which indicates the ratio of employment to new job seekers, decreased by 5.4 points to 50.7%. It is 8.3 points higher than the national average.

By industry, medical care and welfare accounted for the largest number with 347 cases, accounting for 38.5% of the total. This was followed by 119 cases (13.2%) in the wholesale / retail industry and 107 cases (11.9%) in the manufacturing industry. By occupation, transportation and cleaning were the largest with 299 cases (33.1%), followed by office work with 152 cases (16.9%) and services with 130 cases (14.4%). Four cases were dismissed due to the abolition or reduction of business, which decreased for the second consecutive year.

Mr. Sekiyasu Nishida, the person in charge of “Prop Saga” (Saga City), a business establishment that provides employment transition support, says, “The number of briefing sessions and interviews has been reduced due to the corona disaster, and opportunities for contact with companies are also decreasing.” At the office, we have started a new program for acquiring computer qualifications so that we can have an advantage when we get a job. Mr. Nishida says, “I would like to appeal with my resume and support it so that it will lead to more employment.”

The Saga Labor Bureau says, “I would like to create opportunities for companies with disabilities to come into contact with people with disabilities, such as online and small-scale interviews, and bring the employment rate to a positive level (compared to the previous year).”

The statutory employment rate of the Employment Promotion Law for Persons with Disabilities, which requires the employment of persons with disabilities above a certain percentage, was raised in March this year, with 2.6% for the national and local governments and 2.3% for private companies. As of June 1, last year, the employment rate of persons with disabilities in private companies in the prefecture was 2.65%, the third highest in the country, and the percentage of companies that achieved the statutory employment rate was 68.9%, the highest in the country.