NHK


 

The start of the new business year last week saw many companies in Japan holding ceremonies to welcome new recruits.

Among other factors, a shortage of labor is steadily raising starting salaries for new employees.

One company offers up to 400,000 yen, or around 2,500 dollars per month for some new hires, while the starting salary for a typical new hire is about 340,000 yen, or roughly 2,100 dollars.

This spring, the Tokyo-based operator of a leading electric appliance retail chain launched a new salary scheme in a bid to recruit talented workers.

The scheme provides the higher starting salary to new employees who have worked part-time for the company for at least one year before joining it as a regular employee. They must have experience in store operations, and have deep knowledge of products that the company sells.

Only 25 of the more than 500 new employees at this firm are eligible for the higher salary.

Under the new scheme, the company hopes it can continue to hire excellent student part-time workers as full-time employees after they graduate.

A labor ministry survey shows last year's average monthly salary for new graduates was the equivalent of about 1,640 dollars. That was up more than 220 dollars from 2020.

The ministry says many companies are still eager to recruit new employees, while smaller firms are facing difficulty in doing so.

The ministry says it will continue to work with job placement services to address Japan's labor shortage problem.