Continuous Survey Part 3: Are People with Disabilities in Rural Areas "Disadvantaged"?

General Partners Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Hitoshi Shindo), which develops social businesses centered on employment support for people with disabilities, conducted a survey at its research institution, the "Comprehensive Research Institute for Persons with Disabilities," concerning residential areas and employment opportunities and environments for people with disabilities. This survey was conducted as the third in a six-month continuous series aiming to multi-dimensionally record the "current status and challenges" of employment for people with disabilities, coinciding with the legal employment rate increase in July 2026 (from 2.5% to 2.7%). While voices like "fewer job openings in rural areas" and "better accommodations in urban areas" are frequently heard on the ground, few quantitative surveys have been conducted from the perspective of the individuals concerned. In the second corporate survey conducted in March, approximately 90% of local companies responded that "hiring is more difficult compared to urban areas." This time, conversely, the survey captured the employment environment in rural areas from the perspective of individuals with disabilities. As a result, 82.3% of respondents answered that "rural areas are disadvantaged compared to urban areas in terms of employment opportunities," confirming the reality of regional disparities from both the corporate and individual sides. It also became clear that regional disparities are complexly intertwined with disparities in employment types and circumstances related to disability types. * 1st Survey (February 2026 / Individuals): Is the MHLW's "quality over quantity" policy reaching individuals with disabilities? * 2nd Survey (March 2026 / Companies): Realities of employment of people with disabilities in companies and future hiring policies. **** * 82.3% of individuals with disabilities responded that "rural areas are disadvantaged compared to urban areas in terms of employment opportunities." They feel the difference from urban areas in almost all aspects, including the number of job openings, wages, and commuting environment. * Regional disparities act in conjunction with employment type disparities. The more unstable the employment, the higher the rate of feeling "insufficient options" (76.0% for unemployed; 52.2% for permanent employees), indicating that people with disabilities in rural areas face a double disadvantage. * Differences also exist by disability type. Individuals with mental disabilities are more reluctant to relocate than other categories (54.8%), facing a dilemma of "feeling the disparity but finding relocation a difficult solution." * Expectations for remote work exceed 70%, but structural constraints are also pointed out, such as "many jobs are not remote-eligible" and "differences in salary and quality of employment are not resolved by remote work." **** * Further expansion of remote work-compatible job postings (52.0% of individuals responded as effective) - mitigating restrictions on working locations. * Awareness-raising and education for local companies (47.4%) - changing the very attitude of local companies towards employing people with disabilities, beyond just systems and facilities. * Promotion of corporate expansion into local areas and establishment of special subsidiary companies (44.7%) - increasing the number of local employment options. * It is necessary to advance both the expansion of work options and a change in the mindset of accepting parties, rather than relying solely on individual-level options such as relocation or job change. **■ Survey Results** **[1] Do people with disabilities residing in rural areas feel disadvantaged in employment opportunities compared to urban areas?** A total of 82.3% responded "disadvantaged," combining "feel disadvantaged (58.6%)" and "tend to feel disadvantaged (23.7%)." Only 6.6% answered "not disadvantaged" or "not very disadvantaged," indicating that regional disparity is a common perception among individuals concerned. **[2] In your residential area, do you think job openings and options for people with disabilities are sufficient?** A total of 66.5% responded "insufficient," combining "feel insufficient (44.1%)" and "tend to feel insufficient (22.4%)." When looking at the total "insufficient" by residential area, it showed a clear gradient: 82.5% for rural residents, 69.4% for Kanto-Koshinetsu (excluding Tokyo), and 54.0% for urban areas. **[3] Looking at employment types, the more unstable the employment, the higher the rate of feeling "insufficient options."** Permanent/indefinite employment 52.2%, contract/fixed-term employment 60.0%, part-time/casual employment 70.8%, unemployed (with previous work experience) 76.0%. This clearly shows a tendency for people to feel options are limited the more unstable their employment is. A structure where "regional disparity" and "employment type disparity" overlap becomes apparent. **[4] When comparing rural and urban areas, do you feel a difference in each aspect?** For all six comparison items, approximately 60-80% responded feeling a difference compared to urban areas. The biggest difference was felt in "number of job openings/recruitment" (81.6%), followed by "salary/wage level" and "ease of commuting/moving" (both 77.0%). On the other hand, "completeness of consideration/reasonable accommodation for disabilities" remained lower at 59.9% compared to other items, indicating that individuals strongly perceive the disadvantages in rural areas as related to options, wages, and commuting conditions, rather than the level of accommodation provided. **[5] Do you think you could get a better job or conditions if you moved to an urban area?** Among 116 respondents excluding urban residents, 63.7% felt the possibility of career improvement by moving to an urban area. However, the difference from the 82.3% who feel "disadvantaged" suggests a dilemma where "they feel the disparity, but relocation is not necessarily an easy solution."