Things You Need To Know When You Are Working in Japan
In Japan, many universities or college students are working at a part-time job when they don’t have classes. It’s the same for students from abroad too.
When you try to find a part-time job, the most important thing you should check first is whether the employer gives you the proper wage. Needless to say, it is important to get a job which you are interested in, or you can make use of your skills. But it is true that there are some troubles related to part-time jobs in Japan. Sometimes, I see articles telling that some employers are not able to pay a proper wage to the employees, or they do not pay overtime pay. That is why I recommend you to learn about minimum wage in Japan before getting a part-time job.
In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare provides “minimum wage” to protect workers. By the law called “Minimum Wage Act”, they show how much employers should pay per time to the employees. Have you ever checked your minimum wage in your region? And more importantly, do you know how to check if the wage from your employer meets the minimum wage?
Let’s have a look at it.
What is the minimum wage?
In Japan, the minimum wage is settled or fixed in each prefecture. Every employee working in that prefecture should get at least the same or competitive to the minimum wage imposed regardless of the type of industry, job categories, or employment patterns like part-timers or full-timers. Actually it is illegal if you are told “Your wage is lower than the minimum wage because you aren’t working full-time”. Also, the minimum wage doesn’t include overtime pay or transportation expenses. It is settled for the basic pay you get every month. When you check whether your wage is proper, keep in mind to not include extra payment like overtime pay, transportation fee, bonus payment, or midnight allowances.
How to check whether your wage is adequate or not?
In many cases, the wage for part-time jobs is settled per hour. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare provides minimum wage per hour for each prefecture on their website. When you compare your wage and the minimum wage on the website, it is proper if your wage is similar or the same with the minimum wage, or higher than that.
The minimum wage in major prefectures are listed below;
Tokyo 932 yen
Aichi 845 yen
Osaka 883 yen
Kyoto 831 yen
If you have any questions about the minimum wage,
Each prefecture has a designated Labour Bureau(都道府県労働局) or Labor Standards Inspection Office(労働基準監査署). They are in charge of consultation for the minimum wage and other problems related to work or employment in Japan.
I hope you will get a good part-time job in Japan, and have a good experience here.
Good luck with your journey!
Hatuho
Japan
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