Japan Wage Growth (Nominal and Real Wages)
This page shows the year-over-year change in monthly wages from the Monthly Labour Survey: total cash earnings (including overtime pay and bonuses), contractual cash earnings (regular pay and overtime pay, excluding bonuses), and real wages (total cash earnings adjusted for changes in consumer prices).
📖 How to read this indicator
When nominal wages grow more slowly than consumer prices, real wages fall and households lose purchasing power. Total cash earnings swing in the bonus months of June, July and December, so contractual cash earnings give a steadier view of the trend in regular pay. The figure for the latest month is preliminary and is often revised.
Data table
| Month | Total cash earnings | Contractual cash earnings | Real wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | 3.5% | 3.4% | 0.4% |
| Mar 2026 | 3.1% | 3.3% | -0.8% |
| Feb 2026 | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2.0% |
| Jan 2026 | 2.5% | 2.9% | -0.6% |
| Dec 2025 | 2.4% | 2.0% | 0.8% |
| Nov 2025 | 1.7% | 1.9% | -0.1% |
| Oct 2025 | 2.5% | 2.5% | -0.1% |
| Sep 2025 | 2.1% | 2.0% | 0.3% |
| Aug 2025 | 1.3% | 1.8% | -1.8% |
| Jul 2025 | 3.4% | 2.1% | -0.6% |
| Jun 2025 | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2.5% |
| May 2025 | 1.4% | 2.0% | -0.2% |
| Apr 2025 | 2.0% | 2.1% | 0.2% |
| Mar 2025 | 2.3% | 1.4% | -0.4% |
| Feb 2025 | 2.7% | 1.4% | 0.6% |
| Jan 2025 | 1.8% | 2.2% | -1.3% |
| Dec 2024 | 4.4% | 2.4% | -0.6% |
| Nov 2024 | 3.9% | 2.5% | 0.4% |
| Oct 2024 | 2.2% | 2.3% | -0.3% |
| Sep 2024 | 2.5% | 2.2% | 0.1% |
| Aug 2024 | 2.8% | 2.4% | -0.6% |
| Jul 2024 | 3.4% | 2.2% | -1.5% |
| Jun 2024 | 4.5% | 2.1% | 0.9% |
| May 2024 | 2.0% | 2.0% | 0.9% |
| Apr 2024 | 1.6% | 1.6% | -0.1% |
| Mar 2024 | 1.0% | 1.5% | 0.1% |
| Feb 2024 | 1.4% | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| Jan 2024 | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Dec 2023 | 0.8% | 1.2% | 0.1% |
| Nov 2023 | 0.7% | 1.0% | -0.2% |
| Oct 2023 | 1.5% | 1.2% | -0.5% |
| Sep 2023 | 0.6% | 0.9% | -0.3% |
| Aug 2023 | 0.8% | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| Jul 2023 | 1.1% | 1.3% | -0.8% |
| Jun 2023 | 2.3% | 1.4% | -1.5% |
| May 2023 | 2.9% | 1.6% | 1.2% |
| Apr 2023 | 0.8% | 0.8% | -1.1% |
| Mar 2023 | 1.3% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Feb 2023 | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| Jan 2023 | 0.8% | 0.9% | -0.5% |
| Dec 2022 | 4.1% | 1.6% | -0.6% |
| Nov 2022 | 1.9% | 1.8% | 0.5% |
| Oct 2022 | 1.4% | 1.5% | -1.1% |
| Sep 2022 | 2.2% | 1.8% | -0.1% |
| Aug 2022 | 1.7% | 1.6% | 0.1% |
| Jul 2022 | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.0% |
| Jun 2022 | 2.0% | 1.4% | -0.4% |
| May 2022 | 1.0% | 1.4% | -0.9% |
| Apr 2022 | 1.3% | 1.3% | -0.6% |
| Mar 2022 | 2.0% | 1.2% | 0.1% |
FAQ
What are real wages in Japan?
Real wages are nominal wages adjusted for changes in consumer prices. They show whether pay increases are keeping up with inflation: a negative year-over-year change means wages are rising more slowly than prices.