Real wages in Japan slipped again in October as prices rose faster than pay raises. The result extends the losing streak to a nineteenth straight month.

Preliminary government data shows inflation-adjusted wages fell by 2.3 percent compared to the same month last year. The gauge is a key measure of consumer spending power.

The figure comes from a monthly survey of over 30,000 businesses with five or more employees.

Workers took home an average of slightly less than 280,000 yen, including base salary and overtime. That's roughly 1,900 dollars.

The figure was up 1.5 percent in yen terms from a year earlier. That means October was the twenty-second month in a row that wages increased. But it still wasn't enough to match rising prices.

Government officials credit spring labor negotiations and minimum pay increases for the rise. They acknowledge that inflation remains stubbornly high and say they'll continue to watch prices closely.