Wages for salaried workers adjusted for inflation dropped 2.8 percent in October, marking the 16th consecutive month of decline, government data showed Tuesday.
Wages stood at ¥267,935 per worker, up 0.5 percent from a year earlier if the impact of consumer price hikes is excluded, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said in its monthly preliminary report on wages and overtime trends at businesses with five employees or more.
It was the eighth month in a row that nominal wages climbed, due to pay increases after spring labor negotiations and the strong labor market.
The growth in nominal wages, however, was outpaced by inflation spurred by the consumption tax hike in April and the falling value of the yen, which generally makes imported products more expensive.
Basic wages edged up 0.4 percent to ¥242,370. While wages in this category increased 0.5 percent for full-time workers, they dropped 0.3 percent for part-timers.
Overtime payments inched up 0.4 percent to ¥19,673, slower than 1.9 percent in the previous month as demand for extra hours stumbled. Nonrecurring wages such as bonus payments grew 6 percent to ¥5,892.