Japan's National Personnel Authority recommended Monday that the monthly salaries of civil servants in general positions be raised by an average 0.96 percent, or 3,869 yen, in fiscal 2023, the highest increase in 26 years.
The recommendation to the Cabinet and Diet marks a significant increase from the 0.23 percent wage hike given to government employees in fiscal 2022, and is the highest since the 1.02 percent raise in fiscal 1997.
The personnel authority recommended a more generous raise for younger employees by increasing starting salaries by over 10,000 yen per month for the first time in 33 years to attract more young talent to government jobs.
The authority also recommended bonuses be increased by 0.10 month of salary to an equivalent of 4.5 months of salary regardless of position, marking the second consecutive year it has suggested raising both monthly wages and bonuses.
The recommendations come amid pay rises in the private sector to offset inflation. Local government employees are also expected to see similar pay increases based on the recommendations.
Inclusive of annual pay rises, the 0.96 percent monthly increase in the base wage will translate to an increase of 2.7 percent per month, or 3.3 percent per year, according to the authority.
Major Japanese firms this year have offered wage hikes of an average 3.58 percent in annual pay negotiations, marking the highest increase in three decades.
The authority also said starting monthly salaries should be raised by 12,000 yen for high school graduates and 11,000 yen for university graduates.
If the chief cabinet secretary and other relevant ministers accept the authority's recommendations when they hold a meeting, the average annual salary of government administrative positions, with workers aged 42.4 on average, will increase by 105,000 yen to 6,731,000 yen.
The authority also recommended introducing an allowance from April next year for remote work, including a monthly stipend of 3,000 yen to cover utility expenses for employees who work from home more than 10 days per month.
It additionally suggested legal amendments to allow four-day work weeks from April 2025 provided productivity is not affected and employees work longer on other days to make up the total hours. This system is currently limited to employees with commitments such as child care or caregiving.
© KYODO
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David Brent
Wages are so bad in Japan, it has no business being a member of the G7.
dan
@David Brent agreed !
Meiyouwenti
A good move. In a country where consumption makes up more than 60 percent of the GDP, increasing civil servants’ salaries will stimulate the economy.
The Trees
¥3,879/month. Go to town with that.
sakurasuki
That 10 thousands surely will make young talent choose government sector despite all paper and bureaucratic things that happens inside that includes multiple hankos.
obladi
Just pathetic. At least the cost of living has stayed generally low.
kurisupisu
The cost of living in Japan has gone up markedly!
Bad Haircut
If only they would do something useful to justify it.
shogun36
what kind of logic is that?
“did they graduate college or
high school?”
“college”
“give them LESS…….”
Mark
WRONG and UNFAIR, they are already OVER PAID for the amount of work they do when you add up their BONUSES and their PENSIONS. If an when the average salary of the private sector salary men and women reach their levels then I am all for this rise, until then things should stay as is.
BertieWooster
Mark, totally agree! They are way overpaid for what they do. And how come a civil servant gets a BONUS???? What is this, profit sharing? Also the work force could be halved if they were doing something useful. Mostly what they are involved in is "busy work." Meetings, writing useless reports, writing memos to each other. I know because I've had to work with them. They have far too much time on their hands.
JeffLee
Why? The worst and most incompetent service I've receive in Japan is always from the private sector. The best is nearly always from government offices. My commercial bank takes months to conduct procedures that take a day or two in other countries. My ward office, by contrast, issues important documents in minutes for a couple of hundred yen that would take hours in other countries and cost 10 times more.
If anyone deserves a raise in Japan, it's civil servants.
u_s__reamer
"Serve the (Deep) State" over "Serve the People" (who can always eat cake).
Disillusioned
Woo! Hoo! A whopping 40 bucks a month (ten bucks a week). It's time to party! Wages have not increased in Japan in 26 years right across the board in every industry. In most cases wages have decreased. I went to Japan in 2001 and the monthly salary for a public school ALT was ¥250,000 per month with salary for the vacation periods. Now, over twenty years later a few companies are still paying ¥250,000 a month with a reduced stipend payment for the holiday periods. However, many are now only paying an hourly rate of ¥5,000 with no salary at all for the vacation periods and public holidays, which amounts to around ¥180,000 a month and ¥1.5-¥2 million a year. I taught in. mostly private high schools. My first position in 2006 was ¥380,000 per month with full salary for the vacation periods. My final position in 2019 was ¥300,000 per month. In two decades salaries have decreased by around 20% and the cost of living has increased by around 20%, making it a 40% reduction in salaries over the last two decades. Japan is a great place to visit but don't expect to make a living there.
kurisupisu
Shuffling papers around and stamping documents warrant a pay rise?
2 Year Old
Don’t forget to add fax machine attendant to their duties…. That certainly warrants a pay rise in 2023.
Blacklabel
Wow a whole 3000 something yen a month. Don’t spend it all in one place!
Eastman
3879 raise?
sure many will have party tonight...Fumio you are so pathetic...fool
Zoroto
Depends obviously whether you are skilled or not. Teaching English is not considered a skilled job (anybody can do it, even those who don't speak English as their first language).
SDCA
I don't understand, so if one were to choose to work 4 days a week, they would need to work 10 hours + 1 hour lunch break on other days to make up for their "lost time"? No thanks, won't be able to get enough sleep on those days and the extra day off would end up being a chore day since laundry would pile up.
La vie douce
"the average annual salary of government administrative positions, with workers aged 42.4 on average, will increase by 105,000 yen to 6,731,000 yen."
Public servants already earn very good salaries comparing to the average Taro. Much bigger problem is the financial situation of the many workers getting by on 3 million a year or less. Govt should decrease taxes / increase tax breaks for the lowest rank earners.
Chabbawanga
People need to start imvesting yesterday.
Teddy Tomari
You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Wandora
6,731,000 vs how much in the private sector? Seems a pretty good salary to me for what they do.
Teddy Tomari
The average annual salary of government administrative positions, with workers aged 42.4 on average, will increase by 105,000 yen to 6,731,000 yen.
That isn't a lot of money in 2023. Japan is like an 80s theme park. Nothing has really changed in the past 40 years.
PerformingMonkey
Take home on 6.7 mil a year is only about 450k a month.
Mr Kipling
Less than 1%? I thought that must be a typo but no. Will they settle for .5% or .6%?
Sven Asai
Wow, respect, one would need to have quite some courage to officially come up with a percentage number that has a zero before the decimal point. lol
David Brent
It’s so easy to get hired. I know a guy whose job title is Professor of English at a national university. It’s a total joke. Nothing “professor” about him. They just gave him that title because he’s been there longer than other fresh off the boat “teachers”.
Wesley
I wish they'd increase the pay of healthcare workers/nurses/medics, etc.
They deserve it.
Lindsay
The red stampers need more money. It’s exhausting work running around the office looking for a specific piece of recycled paper and then chasing up three red stamps for it.
Rodney
at first I thought this was per hour. For me, my partner and dog it is ¥3500 a day for food. Petrol changed from ¥160 to ¥174.
Yubaru
In Tokyo, being a civil servant is one of the least attractive jobs, and they have few applicants as the pay is crap for Tokyo.
But on the other hand, places like Okinawa have innumerable technical colleges that are dedicated to "teaching" young adults how to get these "komuin" positions, because out here in the sicks, that's the way to job security.
Roy Sophveason
Just to make sure, are you using your fingers to make asian eyes when acting this out?
Yubaru
Probably only gave him the title in English, because there is no way any reputable Japanese university is going to officially give someone the title 教授kyoju with them having actually earning it.
藤原
In the Article just above this on JT:
Japan's real wages fall in June for 15th month under inflation
Strangerland
26 years is a bit longer than 15 months innit?
Jonathan Prin
Is 6,731,000 yen with bonus or without ?
Thanks for reply for anyone who knows.
Neux Reux