A Japanese government study has found that corporations in the country have been spending less of their profits on wages since the end of the bubble economy about 30 years ago.

The Cabinet Office looked at data from the 1990's through the 2010's. The biggest decline came from large non-manufacturers. The percent of profits spent on labor fell by 8.2 points over 2 decades to 48.4 percent.

The rate also dropped 2.2 points at major manufacturers. Among smaller firms, the wage share was down 1.2 points at non-manufacturers, while the figure fell 0.8 points at manufacturers.

The Cabinet Office says the end of the economic bubble and the global financial crisis may have prompted firms to set aside more internal reserves to prepare for hard times.

It adds that it is important to create an environment where businesses are encouraged to invest and distribute what they earn.