Wages for full-time workers in Japan hit record high in 2018

March 30, 2019

Tokyo--The average monthly wage for full-time employees in Japan in 2018 hit a record high of 306,200 yen, up 0.6 pct from the preceding year, a labor ministry survey showed Friday.

The average pay, excluding overtime and bonuses, rose for the second consecutive year. The growth was led by increases in pay in the transport, mail, construction and other industries facing labor shortages.

Pay for regular workers rose 0.7 pct, while that for nonregular workers dropped 0.7 pct.

The average wages increased 0.6 pct for both men and women, to 337,600 yen and 247,500 yen, respectively.

By prefecture, the average pay was the highest in Tokyo, at 380,400 yen. The pay level in Kanagawa, Osaka and Aichi exceeded the national average.

The lowest pay was 235,100 yen, in Miyazaki. Pay in Aomori and Akita was also low, standing slightly above 240,000 yen.

Although staff personnel are supposed to visit companies for the basic wage structure survey, the 2018 statistics was carried out through wrong methods, such as sending questionnaires by mail.

Still, a labor ministry official stressed that there is no problem in the accuracy of the 2018 survey, saying that it "has the quality needed for government statistics." Jiji Press