Japan's Average Monthly Wage Drops Amid Crisis
The latest Japanese government figures show the average monthly wage for workers declined in April as businesses closed voluntarily to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
The labor ministry released the preliminary results on Tuesday, from its survey of more than 30,000 businesses across the country.
In April, workers earned about 275,000 yen on average, or about 2,500 dollars. This includes their base wage, plus any overtime and other payments.
In nominal terms, the figure was down 0.6 percent year-on-year, marking the first drop in four months.
In price-adjusted real terms, it was down 0.7 percent -- a drop for the second consecutive month.
The average wage of full-time workers in April was about 356,000 yen, or around 3,280 dollars. That's a year-on-year decline of 0.6 percent and the first drop in nine months.
The survey shows the average payment for overtime work was about 230 dollars, down 12.2 percent from a year earlier.
Wages in the service sector, including restaurant and entertainment businesses, declined especially sharply.
Labor ministry officials say overtime hours fell to an unprecedented level in April, and businesses that closed voluntarily experienced a heavy impact.
