About 40 percent of Japan's labor force may struggle to get pay increases to help them cope with soaring prices. A new survey shows that part-time and contract staff are less likely to get a raise than full-time workers in the fiscal year starting in April.

A private research firm conducted an internet survey of almost 4,500 firms of all sizes earlier this month. Of the 4,131 which responded, 80.6 percent said they plan to increase wages for their workers.

But when questioned about pay hikes for non-full-time employees, only 55.7 percent of 3,184 respondents said they will give raises.

Part-time, contract and temporary workers account for about 40 percent of Japan's workforce.

Among the companies raising pay for non-full-time staff, 74.3 percent said they want to secure enough workers. For 44.5 percent, the reason was to keep pace with minimum wage hikes, while 28.6 percent said they want to boost productivity. Multiple answers were allowed.