Arab News Japan

TOKYO: While summer bonuses for corporate employees in Japan have seen a significant increase this year, for national government employees the summer bonus has decreased significantly, according to Gentosha Gold Online.

According to figures announced by the Japan Business Federation, the average summer bonus for 105 major companies is 929,259 yen. It increased by 14 percent from last year. Meanwhile, the Labor Administration Research Institute surveyed companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime and found that the level of summer bonuses and lump sum payments for 2022 was 765,888 yen, an increase of 6.5 percent.

For government employees, the story is different. The average amount paid for workers, excluding managers, was 584,800 yen, a decrease of 11.5% compared to last year, and a decrease of 76,300 yen in real terms. It’s the second year in a row that the bonus has gone down.

In recent times, the number of applicants for government jobs has decreased, despite the belief that such jobs are secure.

The working environment for civil servants is now considered to be a problem. According to the National Personnel Authority, 8.7 percent of employees in departments with a high proportion of non-regular work have to work overtime in excess of the upper limit, and 10.4% of employees worked overtime for more than 80 hours. Overtime work of 80 hours a month is regarded as unsafe.

This environment is driving young government workers towards early retirement or prompting them to seek other forms of employment.

When asked why they resigned, a number of respondents said, “I want to get an attractive job that allows me more self-growth,” and “because of long working hours, it is difficult to balance work and family.”

If the number of civil servants continues to fall, it may lead to a decline in policy-making ability, and there is a danger that Japan, which is in a slump, will continue to suffer. Some are calling for drastic reform in a country where changes are invariably incremental.