The number of disabled people who are seeking jobs at public labor exchanges reached a record high of 128,915 at the end of August, compared with 126,254 at the end of March, according to the Labor Ministry.
The number of disabled job-seekers at the end of next March is likely to hit a record high for any fiscal year, the ministry said Tuesday.
A ministry official said disabled people's eagerness to work is increasing. He called for cooperation from employers to help them find work, despite the continuing severity of the employment situation.
The number of disabled applicants for employment in fiscal 1999, which ended on March 31, rose 9 percent from fiscal 1998. The ministry expects the number to rise steadily in fiscal 2000 and beyond.
The number of disabled people finding jobs through public employment offices in May rose 20.3 percent from a year earlier to 2,194, and in July it was up 13.3 percent to 1,914.
Except for June, the number of jobs found by new applicants among the disabled was higher than a year earlier in the months following April. The number for this fiscal year is expected to top the 34.6 percent registered in fiscal 1999, the official said.