Before the submission of the revision bill to the Diet, the government on April 1 raised the percentage of disabled people who must be employed in the total number of workers by 0.2 percentage points — 2 percent for companies, 2.2 percent for boards of education of prefectural governments, and 2.3 percent for the central and local governments. This increase — the first in 15 years — is a step forward in the right direction.
Nearly 20,000 mentally ill people try to find jobs through public employment security offices annually. Many issues must be resolved to create an environment conducive to such people’s successful employment.