Analysis of Employment Trends in Japan: May 2025 Wage Growth by Prefecture

In an ongoing effort to understand the shifts in employment and wages across Japan, Frog Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based company that specializes in providing big data for recruitment analysis, has released its "May 2025 Prefectural Wage Growth Ranking." This report aggregates data from various job platforms and aims to shed light on the current trends in wages by employment type.

Overview of Wage Trends

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's report released on May 22, 2025, real wages for employees with five or more staff members showed a 0.5% decrease compared to the previous year, marking the third consecutive decline. Despite continued wage increases by companies, the recovery of actual wages remains a challenge. Given this backdrop, how have wages across various prefectures fared? This article uses data collected from several job recruitment platforms to present the latest wage growth trends as of May 2025.

Key Findings from May 2025 Rankings

The wage growth rates by employment type, compared to the previous month, yielded the following observations:

- For part-time workers, the increase ranged from -2.18% to +1.24%.
- For dispatch workers, the increase ranged from -1.95% to +1.96%.
- For full-time employees, the increase lay between -0.57% and +0.98%.

Notably, the top increases for part-time employment were observed in:

- 1st: Okinawa (+1.24%)
- 1st for dispatch: Miyazaki (+1.96%)
- 1st for full-time: Aomori (+0.98%).

Part-Time Employment Trends

For part-time work, the rankings for wage growth by prefecture revealed:

- Top 3: Okinawa (increase of +14 yen), Kanagawa (+17 yen), and Osaka (+16 yen)
- Bottom 3: Fukushima (loss of -19 yen), Fukui (-22 yen), and Iwate (-26 yen).

A comparison of recent wage trends for Okinawa and Iwate shows that Okinawa's average wage has seen a rising trend toward approximately 1,150 yen, while Iwate experienced fluctuations influenced by specific job postings that significantly raised the average hourly wage for a short period.

Dispatch Employment Trends

The dispatch employment wage growth rankings were as follows:

- Top 3: Miyazaki (+1.96%), Gunma (+0.82%), and Kochi (+0.72%).
- Bottom 3: Shiga (-1.48%), Shimane (-1.57%), and Kagoshima (-1.95%).

In examining wage evolution, Miyazaki exhibited a substantial rise in average pay correlating with the discontinuation of specific high-paying postings, contrasting starkly with Kagoshima's relatively stable but modest increases over the year.

Full-Time Employment Trends

In the full-time employment category, the rankings indicated:

- Top 3: Aomori (+0.98%), Okayama (+0.88%), and Akita (+0.83%).
- Bottom 3: Yamagata (-0.33%), Fukui (-0.41%), and Kanagawa (-0.57%).

Aomori's increase is attributed to the decreased availability of lower-wage postings, while Kanagawa has maintained stable average monthly pay without significant fluctuations.

Data Collection Methodology

The analysis was conducted by extracting job postings from platforms such as 'i-apply', 'Baitoru', 'MyNavi Baito' for part-time roles; 'Hatarako Net', and 'En Haken' for dispatch work; and 'Doda', 'Type', 'En Career', 'MyNavi Career' for full-time positions. The data was collected for the period between April 1, 2024, and May 5, 2025, focusing on the first Monday of each month for accuracy.

This report reflects the dynamics in Japan's employment landscape, providing insights crucial for both job seekers and employers navigating an ever-evolving market.

About Frog Co., Ltd.

Frog Co., Ltd. is a leading company specializing in recruitment big data since its establishment on January 5, 2021. With access to over 40 billion job postings across 150 job platforms, Frog provides essential analytics for a variety of industries, supporting both marketing and hiring initiatives. For detailed inquiries, please contact the sales department via [email protected] or call 03-5296-9595.