Nominal wages in Japan rise on year in April

Xinhua

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TOKYO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Nominal wages in Japan rose 0.5 percent in April from a year before after declining a month earlier, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said in a preliminary report on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, nominal wages rose to 275,321 yen (about 2,490 dollars) per worker in the recording period, the government's latest data showed, with average real, or inflation-adjusted wages in April flat against a backdrop of rising consumer prices.

The government said that nominal wages in April marked an uptick because of a decline in the ratio of part-time workers who receive comparably lower wages compared to the overall workforce.

The largest section of monthly wages comprising base pay and scheduled wages gained 0.4 percent in the recording period to average 243,717, with unscheduled wages such as overtime pay falling 0.2 percent to 20,383 yen in the recording period, the government's data showed.

The ministry's data also showed that another bracket comprising pay known as special compensation, gained 5.6 percent to 11,221 yen.

Meanwhile, according to the latest data the average income of salaried households retreated 2.2 percent from a year earlier to 472,047 yen.