Summer bonuses down for third year in a row

Aug 07, 2021 | News On Japan

Aug 07, 2021 (NHK) - Salaried workers at Japan's major companies received smaller bonuses this summer, and those in the non-manufacturing sector saw the largest drop.

That's according to Keidanren, or the Japan Business Federation. Its findings are based on a survey of 159 firms with 500 or more employees listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The federation says the average summer bonus this year for workers was 826,647 yen, or about 7,500 dollars. That's down 8 percent in yen terms from last year, and the third straight year of decline.

The coronavirus pandemic took a heavy toll on non-manufacturers, including the retail and railway sectors.

Their bonus payments fell 17 percent.

That's the biggest drop since 1997, when the federation began releasing the survey results in the current form.

Eleven industries saw a drop. But seven, including the cement and food industries, saw an increase.

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