Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s 2025 Survey on the Employment Conditions of Foreigners, released on August 31, the average monthly salary (base pay plus overtime) for foreign nationals working full-time came to ¥292,400 — up ¥17,500, or 6.4%, from the previous year. The survey covered 9,016 workplaces employing foreign workers, conducted in October–November 2025, with 3,919 workplaces responding. While the results reflect improving conditions amid Japan’s labor shortage, threads on 5channel lit up with comments like “Japanese workers at the bottom only make ¥200,000” and “why not just hire Japanese people?”, sparking debate over comparisons with low-wage domestic labor and the industries that have come to rely on foreign workers.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s 2025 Survey on the Employment Conditions of Foreigners, released August 31, found that foreign nationals working as regular full-time employees earned an average monthly salary of about ¥290,000. That’s up 6.4% from the previous year, with treatment of foreign workers improving amid the ongoing labor shortage.

The survey was conducted in October–November 2025, targeting a random sample of 9,016 workplaces with five or more employees enrolled in employment insurance that employ foreign workers. 3,919 workplaces responded.

Monthly pay, including base salary and overtime, averaged ¥292,400, up ¥17,500 from the previous year. Working hours averaged 158.7 hours, with 17.6 hours of overtime.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

106AnonymousSep 12, 2026 15:37

The reality is we're going to have to bring in even more foreign workers going forward

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Speed+) thread “[Foreign Workers’ Monthly Pay] ¥290,000, up 6.4% from last year — Labor shortage cited as reason 〈Labor Ministry Survey〉“

On September 11, the Kochi Prefectural Board of Education announced the results of its public school teacher hiring exam for 2027 appointments. Elementary school teaching posts have seen a string of resignations among successful candidates in recent years — seven in ten declined the year before last, and six in ten declined last year — so this time the board notified 221 people that they had passed, more than double the number of positions actually available. The prefecture has also moved up the timing of its supplementary exam by a month compared with last year. On the 5ch thread, comments poured in from all angles — from puzzlement over why people decline offers after passing, to debates over temp hiring, the now-scrapped teaching license renewal system, and the realities of teacher pay and retirement benefits.

Elementary Teachers Keep Declining Even After Passing: Kochi Notifies 221 Candidates — More Than Double the Planned Hires — as 70% Declined the Year Before Last and 60% Last Year

Yomiuri Shimbun

The Kochi Prefectural Board of Education announced on the 11th the results of its selection process for the public school teacher hiring exam for 2027 appointments. Of the 1,128 people who sat the exam, a total of 382 passed across elementary, junior high, high school, and other prefectural schools. For elementary schools, where successful candidates have frequently turned down offers in recent years, the board notified 221 people that they had passed — more than double the planned number of hires. A supplementary hiring exam, anticipating further declines, will also be held on November 15, a month earlier than last year.

Source: yomiuri.co.jp / Original article here

※ This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “[Kochi] Elementary Teachers Keep Declining Even After Passing — 221 Notified, More Than Double the Planned Hires — as 70% Declined the Year Before Last and 60% Last Year.”