Japan's labor ministry says the average monthly wage of full-time workers in the country has hit a record high for three years in a row.



More than 50,000 businesses responded to the ministry's annual survey that covers wages for June.



The average wage for full-time employees, including non-regular staff, stood at 330,400 yen, or about 2,220 dollars. That's the highest since comparable data became available in 1976.



The wage grew 3.8 percent year-on-year, posting the highest growth in 33 years.



The wage for regular employees increased 3.7 percent, while that for non-regular full-time workers rose 2.9 percent.



The average for men posted a 3.5-percent growth, while that for women increased 4.8 percent.



These figures show that women earned roughly 76 percent as much as men did. The gender gap narrowed one percentage point from the previous year. That's the smallest gap since 1976.



Another survey by the ministry shows that last year's inflation-adjusted wage fell 0.3 percent from the year before, making three straight years of decline. This means inflation outpaces wage growth.



Ministry officials say the overall average wage has been rising to reflect the outcome of spring wage negotiations. They also say the gender gap is narrowing because companies are obliged to disclose how much they pay for male and female workers respectively.