TOKYO - A new welfare service designed to help disabled people find jobs suited to their abilities is spreading across Japan, but concerns remain that providers may steer users toward affiliated workplaces rather than make impartial recommendations.
The employment support program was introduced in October 2025 following a legal revision aimed at addressing concerns that some disabled people who could work for companies were instead remaining in welfare workshops. About 770 businesses had joined the system by the end of March.
While supporters say the program can help people find more suitable career paths, critics warn that operators involved in assessing users may have a financial incentive to direct them to their own facilities.
Employment options for disabled people in Japan are broadly divided between ordinary companies and welfare workshops that provide vocational training and work opportunities.
The workshops are classified as either Type A facilities, where minimum wage requirements apply, or Type B facilities, where they do not.
For years, there have been concerns that some graduates of special-needs schools were entering Type B facilities without sufficient consideration of whether they could work for companies or Type A facilities.
There have also been cases in which workshops retained highly capable users rather than helping them move on to more suitable employment.
To address the issue, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare revised the comprehensive support for persons with disabilities act in 2022 and created the new employment selection support service.
The system assesses a person's strengths, characteristics and the environments in which they are most likely to succeed, with the aim of helping them choose a more appropriate career path.
"I've found that repetitive work suits me. I'm glad I took part," said a 32-year-old woman with a mild intellectual disability who used the service in March in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture.
After graduating from a special-needs high school, she worked at a childcare facility for about 10 years before leaving the job when it became difficult to continue.
After consulting local authorities, she was referred to Asukomitto, a social welfare organization in Kusatsu that provides employment support.
Over five days, she took part in a range of activities, including packaging parts and entering data into a computer, to assess her abilities and aptitudes.
"We found that she was able to complete each task accurately, even if it took time, while work involving numbers was more difficult for her," said support worker Aiko Shintani.
Following discussions involving Shintani, related organizations, the woman and her mother, it was decided that she would move on to the next stage toward employment with a company.
Under the new system, people newly applying to use Type B facilities are generally required to undergo an assessment beforehand. Existing users of Type A and Type B facilities may also be eligible if they wish to participate. The scope of the program is expected to expand gradually.
However, operators of Type A and Type B facilities are also allowed to provide the new assessment service, prompting concerns that some may seek to attract users to their own workshops for financial gain.
The ministry has introduced measures intended to prevent such outcomes, but experts say local governments should rigorously screen providers when designating assessment operators and involve regional organizations to help ensure impartiality.
