‘Unprecedented’ 5,000 People with Disabilities Quit or Fired from Workplaces in Japan

A nationwide survey of local governments by Kyodo News on the 13th revealed that 329 workplaces where disabled people could gain skills and knowledge while working were closed nationwide between March and July of this year, resulting in at least 5,000 disabled people who worked there being fired or quitting. The highest number of disabled people ever fired in a year was about 4,000. Although this includes retirees, this is an unprecedented number in just five months. "The work was far from professional agriculture, and most of the time was spent on breaks. If there was a harvest, I would do it, but there were days when I just watered the crop. In those cases, it only took about 30 minutes, and I had five or six hours of free time. Some people were on their cell phones or listening to music, and had a lot of free time. They told me that 'coming to the farm is your job.'" Episode Notes: ‘‘Unprecedented’ 5,000 People with Disabilities Quit or Fired from Workplaces in Japan, 329 Workplaces Closed Due to Cuts in Compensation Payments’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/08/15/unprecedented-5000-people-with-disabilities-quit-or-fired-from-workplaces-in-japan-329-workplaces-closed-due-to-cuts-in-compensation-payments/ ‘The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #24: Workers with Disabilities Told Only “Coming to the farm is your job” ’ https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/05/03/the-shog-a-i-shimbun-podcast-24-workers-with-disabilities-told-only-coming-to-the-farm-is-your-job/