Japanese companies are tackling the difficult task of hiring more people with disabilities as the statutory minimum employment rate for such workers will be lifted to 2.7% next July from 2.5% at present.

While the labor market is favorable for job seekers, companies are required to follow a thorough selection process that takes into account traits of each candidate.

As they want newcomers to stay, companies are trying to improve the working environment by making their workplaces more accommodating and using assistive tools backed by information technology.

For new graduates joining the group in spring, food and beverage maker Kirin allows disabled newcomers to choose between a career-track position and an area-restricted post involving no transfer.

"With the number of new graduates limited, the hike of the statutory minimum employment rate is gradually making it difficult to recruit students," an official said.

To create an environment in which people with or without disabilities can work together, Kirin uses assistive tools, such as screen reader software, and distributes booklets containing information about disabilities.

Apparel giant Fast Retailing, which has a target of employing at least one disabled person at each of its outlet, marks a high employment rate of 4.91%. Some 1,500 disabled people work at its Uniqlo and GU casual clothing store chains in Japan and abroad.

Disabled employees were mainly assigned to back-of-the-store work. In line with the increasing efficiency of work, however, such employees are increasingly seen working on the sales floor. They wear a "support card" on them, indicating that they have disabilities.

Ryuto Sasaoka, a 25-year-old worker at a Uniqlo outlet in Tokyo with hearing impairment, attends to customers utilizing a smartphone notepad function. "It's difficult to communicate verbally, but I like the job of serving customers," he said with a smile.

At brokerage giant Nomura, some 120 disabled people, or about 30% of the Nomura group's disabled employees, work for Nomura Kagayaki, a special subsidiary set up for creating employment for people with disabilities. They are engaged in such tasks as sorting mail and setting up training sites.

Such workers are granted the rights to paid and outpatient leave shortly after they join the company. The Nomura group provides ample support, holding interviews with such workers every month.

The retention rate stands at 80% although employees with mental disabilities, who are said to find it hard to keep working, account for 90% of all company workers with disabilities.

A 38-year-old male employee with six years of continuous employment, who used to frequently change workplaces for noncareer posts, said, "Despite a lower salary, I can keep working for a long time thanks to reduced burdens and hardships."

Nomura Kagayaki plans to establish a new base in Tokyo by year-end as it aims to employ more people with disabilities.

According to the latest survey conducted by the labor ministry, Japanese companies' employment rate of people with disabilities was 2.4%.

"The fast-paced shift to active recruitment raises such concerns as the quality and mismatch in the employment," said Hosei University professor Satoko Shinbo, a specialist in the employment of people with disabilities.

"Companies need to discuss with such employees their disability conditions and suitability for jobs to constantly make adjustments," Shinbo added.