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Japanese firms offer pay raises to retain staff amid labor crunch

Japanese firms offer pay raises to retain staff amid labor crunch

NHK4 days ago
Some Japanese employers are offering higher pay and other financial rewards in a bid to retain staff amid a labor shortage and rising inflation.
Nojima has decided to give two raises in basic pay a year beginning this fiscal period.
The major electric-appliance retailer says around 3,000 employees can expect a hike of 10,000 yen, or around 68 dollars, a month in September.
Another raise is slated for as early as January next year.
A young Nojima employee at a Tokyo store says rice and vegetables are very expensive and the new scheme is quite helpful. The employee adds that the biannual hikes will ensure long-term employment.
A Nojima official said: "The employees will be able to work with a sense of assurance now that the twice-a-year of base pay hikes have been decided. The company plans to raise wages as soon as possible even if it's only by 10,000 yen."
Skylark Holdings plans to raise a salary cap for its restaurant managers to 10 million yen, or about 68,000 dollars, a year.
The amount at the major restaurant-chain operator is currently around 57,000 dollars.
Surging consumer prices in Japan have been outpacing salary increases. Inflation-adjusted wages for May posted their largest drop in nearly two years.
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