A: Hey, got any news? ????

B: Not much, what's up? ????‍♂️

A: Japan's wages dropped for the fourth month in a row in April! ????

B: Really? That's sad. But why? ????

A: Well, salaries went up, but they didn't match the rising costs of living. ????‍♂️

B: Ouch! How bad was it? ????

A: Real pay fell by 1.8% compared to last year. ????

B: That's a lot! But what about the average wage? ????

A: Workers earned around $2,100 in April. That includes overtime and base pay. The base pay rose for the 42nd month in a row by 2.2%. ????

B: Okay... but that's not great either, right? ????‍♂️

A: Exactly! Even though base pay increased more than the previous two months due to annual raises, inflation still outpaced it. ????

B: So they need to keep an eye on things like price hikes and salary negotiations during the spring. ????

A: Yup, they will keep a close watch on that! Let's hope it gets better soon. ????????
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Japan's inflation-adjusted wages fell for the fourth straight month in April. Salaries rose but failed to keep pace with rising consumer prices.



The labor ministry's preliminary data show that real pay dropped 1.8 percent from a year earlier.



The ministry surveyed about 30,000 businesses across the country with at least five employees.



Workers earned an average 302,453 yen, or a little over 2,100 dollars, in April. That includes base pay and overtime. The figure is up 2.3 percent year on year, marking the 40th consecutive month of increase.



Base pay came to 269,325 yen, or nearly 1,900 dollars, rising for 42 months in a row. It was up 2.2 percent compared to a year earlier.



Ministry officials say that the base-pay rise was larger than the previous two months due to pay raises at the start of the fiscal year in April. But inflation outpaced the increase.



They say they will keep a close watch on the impact of price moves and annual wage negotiations in the spring.