The 15th is the intensive response day for this year's spring battle.
There is momentum for wage increases, mainly among large companies, with early settlements and full responses, but the focus is on how far this will spread, including among small and medium-sized companies, and whether it will lead to sustainable wage increases.
On the 15th of this year's spring struggle, it will be the day of intensive responses from the management side, which will be the biggest climax.
Wage increases to match the record-breaking rise in prices have become a major focus, and many major companies have responded with unprecedentedly early settlements and full payments as demanded by labor unions.
Among them, Panasonic Holdings, a major electronics manufacturer, has decided to respond with the full amount as requested by the labor union as the amount equivalent to raising the base salary.
It is the highest level in the last 10 years at 7000 yen per month.
In addition, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries decided to raise wages by 14,000 yen per month as requested by the labor union.
This is the first time in 49 years that the full amount has been answered.
In the automobile industry, Toyota Motor Corporation has fully responded to wage increases and bonuses in the first labor-management negotiations for three consecutive years.
Nissan Motor and Honda have also settled with full answers.
In the aviation industry, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have decided to implement the base increase, which is the highest level in the past 30 years.
[Status of each company]
To full answer of 7000 yen per month equivalent to Mitsubishi Electric base up
Rent increase due to JR East base increase Average over 5,000 yen per month
Panasonic HD monthly fee of 7000 yen to full answer Highest level in 10 years
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to raise wages by 14,000 yen per month Full answer for the first time in 49 years
All Nippon Airways 6,000 yen base increase response, the highest level in the past 30 years
Some private think tanks are predicting that the wage increase rate for this year, including small and medium-sized enterprises, will be around 3%, the highest level since 1994.
However, for the time being, there is a view that real wages will continue to be negative as wage growth cannot keep up with price increases.
This year's spring labor offensive is gaining momentum for wage increases, mainly at major companies, but the focus is on how far this will spread, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and whether it will lead to sustainable wage increases.
Companies that have decided to raise wages by 5% toward sustainable wage increases
Workman, which develops casual wear and work clothes, has already decided to raise wages by an average of 5% for more than 450 employees and part-time employees from April this year.
It is the largest increase ever for the company, with the aim of securing excellent human resources amid the fact that employees are affected by price increases and employment is becoming fluid.
A 38-year-old female employee raising two children aged 6 and 4 wants to increase her children's learning with the increased wages.
A female employee said, "I'm very happy because my expenses for my children have increased. Raising wages also motivates me to work harder and makes me want to make better products."
However, while we have decided to raise wages significantly, the company's business environment is becoming increasingly severe.
Profits will continue to be under pressure due to the effects of the weak yen and soaring raw material prices, and the financial results for the fiscal year ending March are expected to decline for the first time in 13 years.
The company has managed to secure funds for wage increases by repeatedly reducing costs, such as using the material of work clothes for camping equipment and reviewing the material of leaflets.
However, there are limits to these efforts, and it is unclear whether wages can be raised continuously in the future.
For this reason, the company has started a new initiative to achieve sustainable wage increases.
It is product development through collaboration with other companies.
At the new product presentation held last week, air-conditioning clothing jointly developed with a group company of a major electronics manufacturer was shown.
People who work outdoors or who participate in outdoor events can spend a comfortable time with clothes that use materials that cool or warm when electricity is passed through them.
We anticipate that we will be able to capture new demand beyond the work clothes market, which has been our mainstay until now, and aim for annual sales of 10 billion yen in three years.
We would like to introduce high-value-added products into new markets and continue to give back to employees, such as wage increases.
Tetsuo Tsuchiya, Executive Managing Director of Workman, said, "Human resources are the most important thing, so we want to prioritize investment in human resources. Unless we continue to raise wages, we won't be able to gain the empathy of our employees. It's important not to quit midway through." increase.
Expert "Towards a virtuous cycle of the economy, it is important to raise wages from next year onwards"
Senior executive economist Yoshitaka Shinya of Dai-ichi Life Research Institute points out that it is important not only this year to lead to a virtuous cycle of the economy, but also sustainable wage increases from next year onwards.
Mr. Shinya said, "In this year's spring labor offensive, the momentum of wage increases is stronger than initially expected, and the wage increase rate may exceed 3%. I feel that companies' earnings are solid and there is room for wage increases, partly due to the effect of the weak yen. However, wage increases at small and medium-sized enterprises are unclear, and I think there are many that have not been able to fully pass the increase on prices."
On top of that, ``This year's spring struggle is important, but if you feel that wages will rise every year, it will be easier to spend, so it is important to see what happens to wage increases next year. is important, ”he points out that it is important not only this year to lead to a virtuous cycle of the economy, but also a sustainable wage increase from next year onwards.
Mr. Shinya said, ``It is not sustainable unless companies increase sales by developing attractive products, raise profits, and raise wages in a way that is distributed appropriately to workers. We had no choice but to increase profits by cutting costs, but from now on, management will also be required to change their mindset and take positive measures to increase sales," he said, adding that the profits needed to generate funds for wage increases. I think we need more power.
In addition, government measures are also important for companies to achieve sustainable wage increases, such as support for promoting new businesses of companies and efforts to facilitate labor movement to industries that are short of workers. I expect to be asked.