Japan's real wages drop for 4th month in April
Japan's inflation-adjusted wages fell for the fourth straight month in April. Salaries rose but failed to keep pace with rising consumer prices.
The labor ministry's preliminary data show that real pay dropped 1.8 percent from a year earlier.
The ministry surveyed about 30,000 businesses across the country with at least five employees.
Workers earned an average 302,453 yen, or a little over 2,100 dollars, in April. That includes base pay and overtime. The figure is up 2.3 percent year on year, marking the 40th consecutive month of increase.
Base pay came to 269,325 yen, or nearly 1,900 dollars, rising for 42 months in a row. It was up 2.2 percent compared to a year earlier.
Ministry officials say that the base-pay rise was larger than the previous two months due to pay raises at the start of the fiscal year in April. But inflation outpaced the increase.
They say they will keep a close watch on the impact of price moves and annual wage negotiations in the spring.
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