Japan to Raise Required Employment Rate for Disabled to 2.7 Pct

From Jiji

January 18 2022

TOKYO – A Japanese labor ministry panel will propose to boost the legally required employment rate for disabled people at companies to 2.7 pct from 2.3 pct at present, it was learned Wednesday. 

With an aim to secure more opportunities to work for people with disabilities, a subcommittee of the Labor Policy Council, which advises the labor minister, discussed at a meeting the same day plans to revise related regulations after deciding on details of the employment rate hike proposal.

The law to promote the employment of disabled people obliges companies and other institutions to keep the proportion of workers with disabilities among all employees above a certain rate, which is reviewed every five years.

The panel plans to propose keeping the required employment rate unchanged at 2.3 pct in fiscal 2023 starting in April and raising the rate in stages to 2.5 pct in fiscal 2024 and 2.7 pct in fiscal 2026.

The required rates are also planned to be increased gradually for workers at central and local governments.