The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare reported on Thursday that total labour cash earnings continued to rise in March, though the rate of increase was slower than anticipated. Earnings rose by 0.6 percent year-over-year, compared to the previous month's revised rise of 1.4 percent. This increase was slower than the projected growth of 1.5 percent.
In terms of industry, the finance and insurance sectors saw the most significant rise in total cash earnings, experiencing a 7.2 percent increase. This was closely followed by a 5.4 percent rise in the combined living, personal services, and amusement sectors.
The report also detailed that contractual gross earnings maintained a steady growth rate of 1.5 percent. However, special cash earnings took a substantial hit, decreasing by 9.4 percent. Lastly, data indicated that real cash earnings fell by 2.5 percent from the previous year, an increase from the 1.8 percent decrease in the preceding month.
