Japan is a country of active capital appreciation. For almost half a century, relative stability reigns in it. The active development of the service sector allows not only local residents to feed themselves, but also foreigners who are attracted by the high average salary in Japan. However, is it easy to find jobs in this country for people who are not its citizens? And how do the high salaries in Japan by profession and the expensive cost of living compare? We’ll talk about this today.
Japan's average salary in yen
Statistics on this indicator are published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The average salary in Japan in June 2016 amounted to 528.82 thousand yen. This is 1.5 times more than in May. The highest salary level was observed in December 1997. Then it amounted to 883.79 thousand yen. A record low was recorded in February 1970. Then the average salary in Japan was only 52.91 thousand. For the entire period from 1970 to 2016, the average indicator is 320.02 thousand.
Yen rate
The monetary unit of Japan is one of the main reserve world currencies. It was minted in the form of gold and silver coins in 1869. Recently, it has been less and less used as a reserve currency. The yen against the ruble is 1 to 0.6445 (08/27/2016), to the dollar - 1 to 0.01.
Rating of the most profitable professions
The main distinguishing feature of an ideal Japanese worker is diligence and hard work. He is devoted to his company and is ready to devote all his time to it. Such dedication has helped the Japanese overcome many disasters and crises. It is still customary in the country to rarely change jobs, life-long hiring is still almost universal practice. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult for immigrants to come to terms with excessive demands on themselves on the part of HR managers and the Japanese mentality. Consider the professions for which there is the highest demand in the labor market in a given country:
- IT specialists. There is a lot of competition in the industry. Japan has a lot of its developers and network administrators. But professionals are needed everywhere. Project managers are most in demand in this area.
- Designers and architects. Interestingly, there are quite a lot of immigrants in this area. Good foreign specialists in it are even more in demand than local ones.
- Specialists in the field of sales. As in any other country, more and more shops and shopping centers open in Japan every year. A foreigner may also work in the field of sales. However, he will need excellent knowledge of the Japanese language.
- Management staff. Most in demand are specialists in management systems. Foreign experience in the field is welcome. However, it is much easier for the native Japanese to navigate the peculiarities of doing business in the country.
- Marketing and PR. It's no secret to anyone that advertising is the key to business success these days. As for foreigners, they may well work in this area, but knowledge of Japanese at the indigenous level will be required.
First three
The average salary in Japan varies by profession. In the first place are medical workers. The salary of a doctor in Japan is 962 thousand yen. This is quite an impressive amount. In dollars, the doctor receives about 8 thousand, in rubles - 604 thousand. In second place, if we consider what salaries in Japan, lawyers go. They can receive about 855 thousand yen per month. Many girls dream of marrying just the representatives of this profession. Some lawyers in Japan get so much that they can afford to buy a new home every month. However, you need to understand that studying at the law and medical faculty is very difficult. However, deputies receive most of all in Japan. Their salary sometimes reaches 2.5 million yen (20,700 thousand dollars).
Other industries
The leaders in the ranking of the most profitable professions are:
- Civil servants. Their monthly salary is about 525 thousand yen. However, becoming a civil servant is quite difficult, because you need to go through a huge number of tests and interviews.
- School teachers. Representatives of this profession earn about 365 thousand yen per month, that is, 4780 dollars. Moreover, in this area, a system of seniority. Experienced professionals can receive about a million yen.
- Office workers. Women in this industry earn significantly less than men. Representatives of the beautiful half of humanity earn about 272 thousand yen (2200 dollars). Strong sex in similar positions - 1.5 times more. That is about 430 thousand yen (3,500 dollars).
- Courier. About 440 thousand yen (3600 dollars).
- Consultant in a household appliance store. About 360 thousand yen (2960 dollars).
- Bus driver or taxi driver. Their average salary is 320 thousand yen or 2600 dollars.
- Designer. In this industry, you can earn about 300 thousand yen per month ($ 2,500).
Employment Features
Job search in Japan usually begins on the Internet. Many foreigners want to get a teacher of English or Russian. The latter is becoming increasingly popular in Japan. The following professions are considered the most demanded in 2016 : programmer, engineer, medic, pharmacist, financier, marketer. Often, an emigrant for employment can not do without knowledge of the Japanese language.
Oriental subtleties of seniority
In Japan, it is easy enough to determine who is the highest paid employee in the office. You just need to know the age of each. Since the 1950s, a system has been operating in Japan according to which an employee receives the more, the longer he works in the company. This is one of the unique aspects of the country's corporate culture. The “wage seniority system” is functioning quite well as long as there is a guarantee of lifelong employment. Beginners get very little. Starting salary is only 2.5 million yen per year. This is about 22,000 dollars. If an employee remains loyal to the company, then gradually his salary increases. However, the system gradually began to crumble. This is due to the economic crisis of the 1990s. Companies need to restructure their costs. Some employees fell under the reduction. For many, this was a huge shock. Indeed, until the 1990s, many Japanese did not even imagine that they would need to change jobs at least once in their lives.
New strategy
After the economic bubble burst in the 1990s, young Japanese could no longer count on lifelong hiring. Many ceased to agree to initially low wages, because they were no longer sure of its rise in the future. Young people employed in traditional companies began to question the employee reward system based solely on age. They were not ready to wait for many years to be promoted. Some left their first job and started looking for more profitable places.
Companies also succumbed to a general trend. A departure from tradition began, and some of them introduced a system of remuneration based on productivity. So they managed to get talented youth. However, in large companies such an initiative was taken with hostility. Therefore, it had to be abandoned. Moreover, it was an extremely unfortunate time for any initiative, since in Japan began a period called the “lost decade”. In recent years, many large companies have again announced the abandonment of the seniority system with government support. However, a lifetime employment system is still considered the only correct one.