TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japan will raise its mandatory employment rate of people with disabilities to 2.7 percent from 2.3 percent, the labor ministry has decided.
This marked the largest increase since the current system was introduced, local media has reported.
The government plans to increase the rate in two stages, first to 2.5 percent in April next year and then to 2.7 percent by the end of fiscal 2026, according to the Mainichi Shimbun on Saturday.
Prefectural education boards are required to increase the ratio to 2.9 percent, while national and local governments, whose current employment rate of individuals with disabilities is higher than that of the private sector, will raise the percentage to 3 percent.
Companies with 43.5 or more employees are currently required under the Act to Facilitate the Employment of Persons with Disabilities to have an employment rate of at least 2.3 percent for individuals with disabilities, amid efforts to give such people more work opportunities.
About 614,000 people with disabilities have been employed by businesses as of June 1, 2022, setting a record for 19 years in a row. Only 48.3 percent of businesses overall, however, have met the legally required employment rate. ■