Japan govt workers to see 1st pay hike in 3 years

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan’s National Personnel Authority recommended Monday that central government workers’ monthly salaries and bonuses be raised for the first time in three years in fiscal 2022, which started in April.

In its recommendation to parliament and the cabinet, the agency called for raising government employees’ monthly salaries by 0.23%, or ¥921, and their annual bonuses by an equivalent of 0.1 month’s worth of salary to 4.4 months.

Government workers’ annual pay is expected to rise by ¥55,000 on average. This may affect salaries paid to local government workers.

A tally by the agency showed that central government workers’ current average monthly salaries, at ¥405,049, were ¥921 lower than those of private-sector employees.

This is apparently because some companies’ earnings have recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Government workers’ bonuses were 0.11 month smaller than those of private-sector employees, according to the tally.

The government is expected to raise basic salaries for workers aged 35 or younger. For bonuses, a performance-based portion will be raised.

The agency proposed moving forward entry examinations for career-track positions to early April in 2023 and to mid- to late March in 2024, from late April at present.

The change is designed to allow the government to decide who to hire around June 1, when many companies give informal job offers to applicants.

The personnel agency proposed shortening the minimum working hours under the flexible working system for government workers to two to four hours, starting April 2023, from six hours at present.