Employment of Persons withDisabilities in Japan
Akira Terashima
Professor of Urawa University

Two Laws of Employment Support 1. Welfare Employment
Law for Supporting Independence of Persons
with Disabilities
 2. Open Employment

General Support for Persons with Disabilities
Act2

Employment Support for PWDs
Open Employment

Welfare Employment

Sheltered
Workshop B

Private CompanySpecial
SubsidyCompany

Sheltered
WorkshopA
Transition‐to‐work Support Program

Quota , Levy and Grant System
WelfareService Users

Contracted Employee
3Number of Working PWDs

WelfareEmployment

Transition-to-work Support Program

16,266Sheltered Workshop A

12,309Sheltered Workshop B

99,182

Open Employment

327,250

Total

455,007
Ministry of Health, labor and welfare, 2011, etc.

4

Average Wages(Monthly)Open Employment

Physical

267,000

Intellectual

125,000

Mental163,000

Welfare Employment

13,0005

Work Situation of PWDs(age 15-64)

6Number of PWDs
Based on Welfare Laws
Total

Living inHome

PhysicalInstitution<18

98,00093,0005,000

18<3,564,000

3,483

81,000<18

125,000

117,000

8,000

18<

410,000

290,000

120,000

Mental3028,000

2675,000

253,000

Total

7,430,000

6,670,000

670,000

Intellectual

7

Number of PWDs Based on Welfare Laws
PhysicalIntellectual

Mental

Total

Total
<6565≦
Total<6565≦
Total<6565≦

Total
Home
Institution
3,937,000
3,864,000
73,00031％
69％741,000
622,000 119,00091%
9%3,201,000
2878,000 323,000
64％
36％
7,879,000
7,364,000 515,000
Ministryof Welfare, Labor and Health 20108

Establishment of Comprehensive Independence Support System
Local municipalities
Care benefit

Training benefit, etc.

・ Personal care at home
・ Visiting care for persons withsevere disabilities
・ Sighted guide for persons withvisual impairment
・ Activity support
・ Medical care・ Life care・ Day service for children
・ Short-stay・ Comprehensive support for
persons with severe disabilities,etc.
・ Cohabitation care・ Support for placement in facilities

Independence
support benefit
Persons andchildren withdisabilities

・ Self-reliance training(function/life)
・ Assistance for employment
・ Assistance for continued
employment
・ Support for cohabitation

Independence support
medical care, etc.

・Rehabilitation medical care (previous)
・Development medical care (previous)・Public expense for visits to mental
hospitals (previous)

Assistive Device
Community life support activities

・Consultation support ・Communication support and daily living
equipment【基 本 事 業】
・Mobility support
・Community activity support
・Welfare homes, etc.

Support・Wide-area support
・Development of human resources, etc.
9Prefectural governments* Among the Independence
Support Medical Care, thepublic medical benefit forchildren with disabilities(previous) and the publicbenefit for outpatients tomental hospitals (previous)
are implemented by
prefectural governments.

Welfare Employment
Services on the Law for Supporting
Independence of Persons with Disabilities
Transition-to-work Support ProgramSheltered Workshop ASheltered Workshop B

10Transition-to-work Support Program (1)Eligibility ①Disabled Person who want to get ordinary job
 ②Disabled person who is almost under 65 years old andexpected to get ordinary job
 (2)Support Period
 2 years (up to 3 years)
 (3)Contents of Support
 Vocational training, fieldwork, job finding, job adjustment
training
11

Sheltered Workshop
 (1)Eligibility Disabled person who has difficulty to get ordinary job
Type A: has possibility to get ordinary job and under 65years old.
Type B: can get disability pension and over 50 years old (2)Services
 Type A: provide job Type B: provide job or opportunity of production

12

Open Employment
Services on the Law for Employment
Promotion, etc. of the Disabled Persons*Quota , Levy and Grant System*Vocational Rehabilitation Service*Enlightenment of Employment for PWDs

13

Quota, Levy and Grant System
Levies
50,000yen/month/person
Employers with 301
regular workers or more
40,000yen/month/person
Employers with 201-300
regular workers

Adjustment Allowance
27,000yen/month/person
for Employers with 201
regular workers or moreRewards
21,000yen/person/monthfor Employers with lessthan 201 regular workers

Legal ratio 1.8%

Employers failing to employ
PWDs more than the ratio

Employers employing PWDs
more than the ratio

Legal Ratio of Employment of PWDs

Private company

2.0%

Quasi governmental organization

2.3%

National and local government

2.3%

Board of education in prefectures

2.2%

15

Grant System Construction of workplace facilities etc. for PWDs
 Construction of welfare facilities, etc. for PWDs
 Placement of workplace assistants for PWDs
 (Document reader, sign language interpreter, etc.)
 Placement of job coaches for PWDs
 Commuting measures for PWDs
 Construction of facilities, etc. in enterprises employing alarge number of PWDs
 Skill development of PWDs etc.
16Special subsidiary company
 Establishment Requirements (1)Close human relations with the parent company
 (2)Number of PWDs employed is five and more (3) Ratio of Employment of PWDs is 20% and more (4) Ratios of severely disabled persons is 30% and more (5) Having ability to perform the employment managementof PWDs appropriately
 (6) Promotion and stability of the employment of PWDs are
surely accomplished17

Special subsidiary company
systemMother CompanySpecial
SubsidiaryCompany

Subsidiary company

Subsidiary company

18

Subsidiary company

Types of Job Coach
Types

Status and Roles

Job Coach in
Vocational
Rehabilitation
Centers

Staff members of local vocational rehabilitation
center for PWDs who assist their clients to getcompetitive jobs

Type 1 Job Coach

Staff members of social welfare institutions whoassist their clients to transfer to competitive jobs

Type 2 Job Coach

Employees of private companies who assist theirdisabled co-workers at job site
19

Vocational Rehabilitation Service

Vocational
Rehabilitation
Center(National 1)(Large 2)(Local 49)

Public Employment
Security Office (545)Work and Life Support Center (322)20

Vocational
Training
Center for
PWDs (19)Flow of job‐seekers with disabilities & support facilities for employment
Support to prepare for getting
employment

Job‐seeking activities
supportSupport for workplace
adaptation & working life（Region）Vocational Centers for Persons

1

3 with Disabilities & Career Centers

PWDs
Universities・Professionalschools

45

Special Needs
Schools

Employment

Vocational Ability
Development Centers for
Persons with Disabilities

Vocational
Rehabilitation
Centers for Persons
with Disabilities

6
Public Employment
Security Office(Hello Work)

Rehabilitati
on Centers

Hospitals

12
Companies（Special Subsidiaries）（Working at home）

2
In‐Home

Employment and Life Support
Centers for Persons with Disabilities

9
Municipalities(WelfareOffices)
10

Community Activities
Support Centers

87

Work Transition Support Facilities
Support program for continuationof work (Type A/B） Facilities

11Self‐employed