Facilities for disabled people in Japan face serious labour shortage

Facilities for disabled people in Japan are seeing a steep increase in labour shortages due to low wages, and a shrinking workforce in a country with an ageing population.

This was one of the main takeaways from a recent survey by Kyosaren, a group supporting disabled people, which surveyed 1,047 facilities across Japan, including organisations providing employment support, life nursing care and development assistance for children.

The survey saw that only 53.5% of openings for regular employees were filled at such facilities in fiscal 2022, reported The Japan Times.  This was below the average of 81.3% at private firms and government institutions hiring new graduates this year, according to the study.

“The chronic shortages of employees have a direct impact on those who use such facilities,” the group said, citing cuts to bathing provisions at group homes and shorter hours for home visits by nurses as examples.

“The labour shortages will clearly reduce necessary assistance for people with disabilities and cause a situation that prevents them from living a normal life,” it said.

The survey was taken as the group, along with approximately 1,860s organisations across Japan, is looking for a rise in state funding for welfare services for disabled people. The government plans to revise its level of funding next year for the first time in three years.

The survey cited many facilities struggling to secure young employees and the bigger burden placed on existing employees, leading some of them to quit.

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Kyosaren argued that the small amount of government spending on policies for the disabled has led to low wages for employees in the sector, calling upon the government to find a “fundamental solution to the labour shortage and improving working conditions by raising its spending on related expenses to a level exceeding 2% of GDP.