Real wages per worker rose 2.2% in September from a year earlier, marking a ninth consecutive month of gains, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said on the 6th in its monthly labour survey, a preliminary report. Nominal pay grew faster than prices, keeping real wages in positive territory.
Total cash earnings, the nominal wage measure, came to ¥311,409, up 4.6% from the same month a year earlier. Scheduled pay, which covers base salary and similar components, rose 3.7% to ¥279,182 and has now grown at least 3% for nine months running.
The consumer price index used to calculate real wages, covering all items except the imputed rent of owner-occupied homes, rose 2.4% year on year in September. That was slower than the 3.4% increase a year earlier, which is what allowed nominal pay growth to outstrip price growth.
The last time real wages rose for nine straight months was the 12-month run from February 2016 to January 2017, roughly a decade ago.