Scheduled wages at companies with five or more employees marked their first increase in 11 months in November, averaging ¥245,212, up 0.3 percent over a year earlier, the government said.
The rise was led by higher wages, which center on basic salary, at providers of food and other services related to daily life, according to a preliminary report issued Wednesday by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Average nonscheduled wages, such as overtime pay, grew for the third straight month to ¥19,052, up 1.3 percent.
But total cash earnings dropped 1.0 percent to ¥276,218 on average largely because of a decrease in special pay, such as bonuses.