Regarding this year's minimum wage increase, the council of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will resume the once-suspended discussion on the 1st.
The focus is on whether the trend of significant increases in recent years will continue as the impact of rising prices spreads.
At a meeting held on July 25, a council of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, consisting of representatives of labor and management, aimed to gather information about raising the minimum wage this year, which currently stands at 930 yen per hour on average nationwide.
However, after more than eight hours of discussion, no conclusion could be reached, and the discussion was temporarily suspended.
Although there was no dispute over the necessity of raising wages, workers insisted on a level that takes into account price increases, while companies expressed their stance that it would be difficult to raise wages significantly due to factors such as soaring raw material costs.
Another factor was that both sides demanded that clear grounds be presented in determining the amount of the increase.
For this reason, after the previous meeting, preparations and adjustments were made among the parties concerned, and it was decided that a council meeting would be held from 3:00 pm on the 1st to resume discussions and aim to compile the results again.
The amount of the minimum wage hike has recently reached record highs, such as the national average of 28 yen last fiscal year. The focus will continue to be whether the trend will continue this time.