"Average Summer Bonus per Person Tops 1 Million Yen" Japanese Major Corporations Hit All-Time High

Up 7% from Last Year... Surpasses 1 Million Yen for the First Time

Highest Amount Since Survey Began in 1981

This year, the average summer bonus at Japan’s major corporations surpassed 1 million yen per person. This is the largest amount ever recorded since the survey began in 1981.

According to Asahi Shimbun, NHK, and other outlets on August 7, the Japanese business association Keidanren announced the results of a survey conducted on 163 large companies, each with more than 500 employees (covering approximately 926,000 workers). The findings revealed that this summer’s bonus at large companies averaged 1,042,537 yen per employee (about 935,000 KRW). This represents a 7.04% increase from last year, far surpassing the previous year’s growth rate of 3.44%. The summer bonus at major corporations in Japan has now increased for five consecutive years.

An employee is organizing Japanese yen at the Hana Bank Counterfeit Response Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The amount of this year’s summer bonus is the highest recorded since the survey began in 1981. It is also the first time that the average summer bonus at major corporations has exceeded 1 million yen per employee.

By industry, out of 22 sectors, 17 saw a year-on-year increase in summer bonuses. In manufacturing, the average bonus per person was 1,093,629 yen (about 984,000 KRW), up 6.23% from last year, setting a new record high for the fourth consecutive year. Significant increases were also reported in non-ferrous metals and metals (21.64%), shipbuilding (9.97%), and food (8.41%). In the non-manufacturing industries, the summer bonus climbed by 8.96% to 941,145 yen (about 853,000 KRW). In construction, the average bonus per employee reached 2,026,633 yen (about 1,816,000 KRW), surpassing 2 million yen (about 1,793,000 KRW) for the first time. In the non-ferrous metals and metals sector, the average bonus per person was 1,125,131 yen (about 1,008,000 KRW), showing a significant year-on-year increase.

Keidanren explained that the increase in bonuses was mainly due to the growing number of companies adopting a system where bonuses are determined in conjunction with business performance.

Meanwhile, this year’s spring wage negotiations (Shunto) at Japan’s major companies resulted in an average wage increase rate of 5.37%, 0.02 percentage points lower than last year’s 5.39%. However, it marks the third consecutive year that wage increases have surpassed 5%. The average wage increase amount was 19,752 yen, up 557 yen from the previous year, the highest since the current data collection method was adopted in 1976.

This survey covered 146 companies across 20 industries, representing about 845,000 employees. The average wage increase rate in manufacturing was 5.36%. By sector, printing recorded 6.81%, non-ferrous metals and metals 6.45%, and machinery and metals 6.04%. In non-manufacturing, the average wage increase rate was 5.38%. Among these, the information and telecommunications sector posted the highest increase at 8.28%, with construction also reporting a significant rise at 6.76%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.