Real wages up for 1st time in 10 months

December 8, 2017

Tokyo- The price-adjusted real wage index in Japan in October rose 0.2 percent from a year earlier, up for the first time in 10 months, the labor ministry said in a preliminary report Friday.

The rise came as basic wages increased and the growth in the consumer price index slowed, a ministry official said. Wages are rising moderately as a trend, the official added.

In the preceding nine months, the real wage index fell or was flat.

Total pay, including overtime and bonuses, increased 0.6 percent to 268,392 yen on average in October, up for three consecutive months.

Regular pay grew 0.7 percent to 242,365 yen. Non-regular pay, including overtime, rose 0.2 percent to 19,765 yen, while special pay, such as bonuses, decreased 0.5 percent to 6,262 yen.

The country's consumer price index, excluding imputed rents, was up 0.3 percent. Jiji Press