Inflation-adjusted wages remained flat in January compared with a year earlier, while nominal wages, including bonuses, rose 0.5 percent to ¥270,274, for the fourth consecutive monthly increase, the government said Thursday.

Average base pay and other scheduled wages — the largest portion of monthly wages — climbed 0.8 percent, the biggest rise since March 2000, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said in a preliminary report.

The uptick in scheduled monthly wages comes against the backdrop of growth in pay for both regular workers and part-timers, as well as the increasing ratio of better-paid regular workers, a ministry official said.

Unscheduled wages including overtime pay gained 0.2 percent to ¥19,396.