Minimum Wage in Japan, Find Out Before You Start a Part-Time Job in Japan | Guidable - Your Guide to a Sustainable, Wellbeing-centred Life in Japan

Minimum Wage in Japan, Find Out Before You Start a Part-Time Job in Japan

By Guidable Writers Aug 3, 2020

Do you have a part-time job? Are you aware of the minimum wage in Japan?

Actually, it is getting higher every year, and this article will explain the details. Maybe in the recent situation, your study contact hours have decreased and you have more time to get a job! If that’s the case check out this article to see what you are expected to be paid.

 

About The Average and Minimum Wage of Part-time Jobs in Japan

If you get a part-time job without knowing the minimum wage decided by law in Japan, you may end up working for lower compensation.

It can happen especially among non-Japanese workers in Japan because employers think non-Japanese workers may not know the minimum amount.

Let’s see how much the minimum wage is nowadays so you will not face such problems when you start a part-time job in Japan.

The Average Wage of Part-time Jobs in Japan

The average hourly wage for part-time jobs in Japan first exceeded 1,000 yen per hour in September 2016. This was the first time to exceed more than 1,000 yen since the survey started in 2002. According to a recent national report conducted in February 2023, the national average hourly wage is 1,177 yen. As of June 2020, the average hourly wage for the three major metropolitan areas (Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka) is 1,215 yen per hour.

The average hourly wage by area was highest in the Kanto area at 1,249 yen, followed by the Kansai area at 1,186 yen, Tokai area at 1,124 yen.

The Average Wage Based on Job Categories

When it comes to different job categories, the highest hourly wage was earned in the specialist category (1,235 yen), followed by transportation (1,202 yen), clerical (1,091 yen), skill/labor (1,068 yen), service (1,051 yen), food (1,006 yen) and sales (976 yen).

The Minimum Wage in Japan

So we’ve talked about the average salary in Japan but what about the minimum? In Japan, the minimum wage is decided by law, and it is different in each region.

The salary is higher in cities and lowers elsewhere. The minimum wage is getting higher every year in Japan, and it was revised in October 2019.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, the area with the highest minimum wage is Tokyo with 1,013 yen in Tokyo, followed by Kanagawa with 1,011 yen and Osaka at 964 yen. The lowest is 790 yen Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Tottori, Shimane, Shime, Kochi, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa.

Is this list surprising? Are you being paid enough in your area? You are able to claim money back if your wage is lower than the minimum wage based on the law.

When facing such problems, it is recommended you talk to a lawyer, so you can receive back pay based on the minimum wage decided by the law in each region.

The Areas With The Highest Wage in Japan

As you may guess Tokyo’s hourly wage is the highest in Japan.

Among all job categories in the three major metropolitan areas, the job with the highest wages nurses (1,653 yen), dentists (1,490), and cram school staff (1,366).

In a specific field like a nurse, a dentist or a teacher at a cram school gets a high wage because they are required to have specific knowledge. Although the salaries of teachers at cram schools is high, they need to prepare for classes, tests, and reports, but these tasks are not included in their working hours. Therefore the income is not comparatively high when calculating the hourly wage by working hours. In addition to that, the time they are able to work is limited because students come after finishing school, and it is only possible to get 3 hours of income-based work a day.

Popular Part-time Jobs Among Non-Japanese in Japan

What kind of part-time job do you think is popular in Japan?

Actually, working at a convenience store is one of the most popular part-time jobs for ex-pats and Internationals in Japan. One of the reasons is because fluent Japanese is not required for these jobs. If you remember how to use the cash register, you will be able to work there with a few Japanese words something like ‘arigatogozaimasu’ (thank you) or ‘atatamemasuka?’ (would you like to heat this up?)

Handing out pocket tissues is also an easy job for people who do not speak Japanese. It may be rare to see someone hand out a pocket tissue in the street anywhere except Japan, but you are able to see such scenes very often in Japan. It is popular because you do not need to speak, just hand out pocket tissues.

Another popular job is making beds in hotels. Cleaning is another job where the use of Japanese is minimal. However, when you first start the job, you will need to speak to other staff, sometimes in Japanese but this can often be overcome by gestures or through the help of other workers.

Are You Ready to Start Your Part-time Job Now?

In conclusion, it can sometimes be hard to get a job in Japan after just starting a life here. But after you become accustomed to Japanese culture and language, you should be able to get a fitting job. Before settling on a suitable job maybe it’s a good idea to start with a part-time job?

When you start to work part-time, you should remember there is a minimum wage decided by law, and you can claim money back if you are not getting enough compensation.

 

Would you like to work in Japan?

Well, let Guidable Jobs help you! Just click here and apply for job!

Of course, you may search for more job information on Guidable Jobs.

 

 

Are you ready to apply for a job after checking the wage? If so download our resume template and find out how to fill it in to get the most interviews:

Rirekisho: How to Write a Japanese Resume. Template Included!

If you want to know what the highest paying jobs in Japan are, check out this article:

Ranking: Top Highest Paying Jobs in Japan for Foreigners