15:18 JST, June 5, 2026
People with disabilities still want to work as members of society. It must be said that the dignity of those with such motivation has been trampled upon.
Some people with disabilities hired by companies through the mediation of Thankslab Inc., a Naha-based operator, were not given any practical work and were placed in inappropriate working environments.
Thankslab operates an employment business for people with disabilities to help them find jobs, mediating their employment to companies.
In this case, multiple people with disabilities were hired by companies but were asked to stay home and engage in self-study, such as computer operations, rather than going to the office. They reportedly were not given substantial work, and they only had brief exchanges with Thankslab using a chat function.
The companies did not even contact the employees with disabilities, merely paying them salaries. It must be said that they abandoned their responsibilities as employers by leaving the management of the employees entirely up to Thankslab.
One woman with a physical disability said that she felt “left behind by society.” Another man fell ill due to feelings of loneliness. This raises suspicions that the practice deviates from the principles of the Law to Facilitate the Employment of Persons with Disabilities, which calls for creating environments in which people with disabilities can demonstrate their abilities, and it is a problem that cannot be left by the wayside.
The statutory employment rate is said to be a key factor behind this. It was introduced in 1976 with the aim of increasing the proportion of people with disabilities in the workforce. Currently, the rate is set at 2.5%, and companies that fail to meet this target are required to pay a levy based on how far they fall short of the quota, and their company names may be made public.
While companies are pressured to meet the statutory employment rate, more than a few reportedly rely on intermediaries such as Thankslab because they struggle with trying to figure out what kind of work to assign to people with disabilities.
However, that does not mean that merely hiring people with disabilities as a formality and treating them as a means to meet numerical targets is acceptable. Shouldn’t the proper approach be to respect people with disabilities as valuable employees and make the most of their motivation to work?
Forty-six operators nationwide are involved in the employment business for people with disabilities, and over 1,800 companies are using this service. However, there are reportedly no laws and regulations that directly regulate improper operators.
The number of people with disabilities working at private companies, including those placed through the mediation of operators, has reached a record high of 700,000. In July, the statutory employment rate will rise to 2.7%. The central government should establish a system to guide and supervise these businesses. It is also essential to support companies in building their employment systems for people with disabilities.
Separate from this issue, a spate of cases has come to light in which operators and other entities fraudulently received additional benefits under the employment support subsidies system for people with disabilities. Businesses that prey on people with disabilities must be corrected.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 5, 2026)
