Japan Holds Uniform Govt Job Exam for Disabled

September 15, 2019

Tokyo- The Japanese government held a uniform employment examination for people with disabilities on Sunday for the second time since a hiring scandal came to light last year.

A total of 4,574 people applied for the first-stage paper test, against 248 jobs on offer. The exam took place at 15 locations in nine cities including Tokyo and Osaka.

The exam consisted of multiple-choice questions to measure high school-level knowledge and essay writing.

Those who passed the first stage will be announced on Oct. 17 and advance to interview tests. Each applicant can select up to three government agencies to undergo interviews.

The final test results will be announced on Nov. 26.

Successful applicants will start working as regular workers at central government agencies and regional units later this year at the earliest.

According to the National Personnel Authority, people with mental disorders accounted for 63.6 pct of the total applicants, those with physical disabilities 34.0 pct and those with intellectual disabilities 2.4 pct.

Last year, many government ministries and agencies were found to have overstated the numbers of their disabled employees.

According to the welfare ministry, the share of disabled employees in the total workforce of the government stood at 2.31 pct as of June 1, up from 1.22 pct last year but still below the legally required level of 2.5 pct. Jiji Press