Japan overtime pay down for first time in 5 months

(For more on Japan's economy, click [ID:nECONJP])

TOKYO, July 1 (Reuters) - Japanese wage earners' total cash
earnings rose 0.2 percent in May from a year earlier but overtime
pay, a barometer of the strength of corporate activity, fell 1.0
percent, its first fall in five months.

Total cash earnings, which include overtime pay, monthly
wages and special payments, rose for the fifth straight month,
after having fallen 0.7 percent last year, government data showed
on Tuesday.

But some economists say the firmness in total earnings so far
this year may be due to a change in the sampling in January.

The number of workers rose 1.7 percent in May from a year
earlier. General employees, who are defined as full-time workers,
increased 1.7 percent. Part-timers were also up 1.7 percent.

The following table shows preliminary data for monthly
incomes and numbers of workers in May:
---------------------------------------------------------

MAY MAY APRIL
Payments (yen) yr/yr change (pct)
Total cash earnings 275,815 yen +0.2 +0.8*

Monthly wage 268,711 yen +0.1 +0.7*

-Regular pay 249,519 yen +0.3 +0.7*

-Overtime pay 19,192 yen -1.0 +0.8*

-Special payments 7,104 yen +2.4 +4.7*
---------------------------------------------------------
Number of workers (million)
Overall 45.048 mln +1.7 +1.8*
-general employees 33.438 mln +1.7 +2.0
-part-time employees 11.610 mln +1.7 +1.2*
---------------------------------------------------------

*denotes a revision from preliminary data.

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, see the welfare ministry's website
at:
here
(Reporting by Hideyuki Sano; Editing by Chris Gallagher)