Japan Jan total earnings rise, overtime pay falls

TOKYO, March 3 (Reuters) - Japanese wage earners' total cash
earnings rose 1.0 percent in January from a year earlier, the
fastest increase since 2006, government data showed on Monday,
suggesting wage inflation is slowly picking up.

But overtime pay, an indicator of the strength of corporate
activity, slid 0.1 percent to mark the second straight month of
fall, a sign that mounting concern over Japan's economic outlook
is keeping companies from boosting spending.

Total cash earnings, which include overtime pay, monthly
wages and special payments, stood at 280,550 yen ($2,708) in
January.

The rise, which matched a 1.0 percent annual increase in June
2006, followed a revised 1.7 percent fall in December.

The following table shows preliminary data for monthly
incomes and numbers of workers in January, with annual percentage
changes:
---------------------------------------------------------

JAN JAN DEC
Payments (yen) yr/yr change (pct)
Total cash earnings 280,550 yen +1.0 -1.7

Monthly wage 267,928 yen +0.5 +0.2

-Regular pay 248,569 yen +0.6 +0.4

-Overtime pay 19,359 yen -0.1 -0.5

-Special payments 12,622 yen +12.1 -3.3
---------------------------------------------------------
Number of workers (million)
Overall 44.573 mln +1.9 +2.0
-general employees 32.973 mln +2.0 +1.4
-part-time employees 11.600 mln +1.9 +3.7
---------------------------------------------------------

The ministry defines "workers" as 1) those who are employed
for more than one month at a firm that employs more than five
people, or 2) those who are employed on a daily basis or have
less than a one-month contract but had worked more than 18 days
during the two months before the survey was conducted at a firm
that employs more than five people.

To view the full tables, click here ($1=103.58 Yen)
(Reporting by Leika Kihara)