The Surge of Monthly Salaries in Chitose City, Hokkaido: A 46.42% Increase

Salary Growth in Hokkaido's Chitose City

In recent months, Chitose City, located in Hokkaido, has garnered attention for experiencing an impressive increase in monthly salaries, marked at 46.42%. This surge positions it as the highest growth rate among cities across Japan. The primary driver behind this rise is the establishment of semiconductor development company Rapidus Corp, which broke ground on its factory in September 2023 and plans to commence trial operations by April 2025.

Overview of the Report

The report titled "Job Market Trends Report for Rapidus in May 2025" has been released by Frog Inc., located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, under the leadership of CEO Koko Sakano. The report utilizes extensive job market data to analyze recruitment trends surrounding Rapidus and its effects on Chitose City’s job market. This analysis serves as valuable data for stakeholders interested in the evolving employment landscape of the region.

Key Findings

1. Average Monthly Salary at Rapidus: As of May 2025, the average monthly salary at Rapidus has reached ¥485,720.
2. Increase in Electric Engineering Job Offers: Rapidus's expansion has notably impacted job offerings, particularly in electric engineering fields.
3. Chitose City's Salary Growth: Between January 2023 and May 2025, the average salary in Chitose has seen a remarkable increase, making it the highest in Japan’s municipalities.

Recruitment Trends at Rapidus

Job Offer Statistics

After Rapidus was founded in August 2022, job listings began appearing from January 16, 2023. From late October to early December 2023, over 100 engineering-specific job postings were noted, which contributed to the overall increase in job offers. As of the end of April 2025, the number of job offers had risen to 454, especially in personnel introduction platforms.

From September 2023, when the construction of the Chitose factory commenced, job postings surged. By May 2025, the number of applications in Chitose equaled that of Tokyo headquarters. Furthermore, a comparison of job types showed that electric engineering positions constituted the largest share in Chitose City, followed by IT engineers and sales/administrative roles.

Average Salary Analysis

When examining salary offers, the average monthly salary began at ¥271,000 in early 2023, peaking at ¥485,720 by May 2025. A notable illustration is observed in late July 2023 when a pair of job offers for similar roles transitioned from ¥271,000 to ¥416,000, influencing the overall average upward. Currently, certain management-level roles are advertised with salaries exceeding ¥800,000.

An analysis by geography and job role shows that besides sales and office positions, Chitose generally offers higher wages than the Tokyo headquarters. This trend reflects the competitive nature of the Chitose job market, likely spurred by the presence of Rapidus.

Job Market Trends in Chitose City

An exploration into Chitose City’s broader job market reveals how Rapidus's establishment affects overall employment dynamics.

Job Offer Statistics by Location

Comparing job offer data from January 2023 as a baseline index of 100, job offers in Chitose City rose significantly compared to both Hokkaido and nationwide figures. By April 2025, job offers had increased by approximately 1.4 times from the figures recorded in January 2023.

Focusing exclusively on electric engineering positions, the growth rate in Chitose massively surpassed the general rate of job offers, marking an increase of approximately 3.4 times compared to January 2023. This clearly indicates the substantial impact of Rapidus’s move to Chitose City.

Average Salary Overview

Further exploration of average salaries across Chitose City and Hokkaido indicates that while initially low in early 2023, salaries have now surpassed ¥300,000, marking them as the highest in the area by May 2025.

Interestingly, excluding Rapidus's influence, Chitose City’s average salary remains lower, underlining its role in elevating the city's overall salary average.

The increase trajectory shows that salaries in Chitose, excluding Rapidus, have risen faster than those in Hokkaido and nationwide. Contributing factors could include the high salary levels associated with Rapidus and rising costs of living, which typically drive other corporations to increase their wages more rapidly.

When we evaluate the salary growth rates across municipalities from January 2023 to May 2025, Chitose City's astounding increase of 46.42% is unmatched, leading the national ranking. The municipality holding second place, Fujimino City in Saitama Prefecture, records a rise of merely 21.28%—a striking difference of over 25 points.

Conclusion

This analysis highlights how Rapidus’s recruitment activity significantly influences the job market in Chitose City, leading to high salaries predominantly in specialized fields. With Rapidus driving up average salaries towards ¥500,000, it becomes evident that such corporate investments positively impact regional economies. As companies with higher salary offers expand into rural areas, they arguably create substantial economic shifts for those municipalities.

Frog Inc. will continue to harness big data in the job market for more refined and real-time analyses that can greatly assist future operational and recruitment strategies in the industry.

Research Overview

Common Methods

- Average Salary Calculations: The average salary reflects the sum of minimum salary values converted from job postings.
- Data Collection: Job postings are assessed by examining disclosed job location information over different periods.

Data Collection Periods

- Rapidus Job Data: Data collected from January 16, 2023, to May 5, 2025.
- Chitose City Job Market: Job offers extracted from various job platforms covering the period from January 30, 2023, to April 28, 2025.