Japan Personnel Agency Recommends Salary Increase for Civil Servants
Proposes 2.76% Raise for All Administrative Civil Servants
If Approved, Total Government Labor Costs to Rise by Approximately 36 Trillion Won
Japan is considering a plan to raise the starting salary for new civil servants by up to 14.6% this year. This is an extraordinary measure introduced by the Japanese government as interest in civil service among the younger generation has waned.
According to Kyodo News and NHK, the National Personnel Authority of Japan submitted the "2024 National Civil Servant Salary Increase Recommendation" with these details to the Cabinet and the National Diet on the 8th. The National Personnel Authority is a consensus-based administrative commission responsible for personnel administration of Japanese civil servants.
The National Personnel Authority proposed the highest increase of 14.6% for the starting monthly salary of university graduates who passed the Grade 5 national civil servant exam for comprehensive positions. The proposed increase for high school graduate general positions was 12.8%. For all administrative civil servants, a 2.76% raise was recommended.
It recommended raising the monthly salary of all administrative civil servants by 2.76%. This is the highest level in 32 years since the 2.87% increase in 1992. Additionally, a partial increase in bonuses was also requested.
If the National Personnel Authority’s recommendation is approved, the average annual salary of administrative civil servants, with an average age of 42.1 years, will rise to 6,916,000 yen, an increase of about 228,000 yen. This amounts to approximately 65.14 million Korean won.
Recently, as wages in private companies have risen, the popularity of civil service jobs in Japan has declined. The number of applicants for the comprehensive civil servant exam held last spring was 13,599, down 5.4% from the previous year. This is the lowest number since 2012.
Under the National Public Service Act, the National Personnel Authority recommends civil servant salaries to the Cabinet and the National Diet. Whether to accept the recommendation is decided at a related ministers’ meeting involving the Chief Cabinet Secretary and others.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, "This content contributes to the wage increase policy pursued by the current government," and added, "We will properly review and discuss it."
Meanwhile, according to NHK, if this increase plan is approved, the total personnel expenses of the Japanese government will increase by about 382.9 billion yen compared to the budget set for this year. As local government civil servant salaries also rise, local government personnel expenses will increase by about 647 billion yen.
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