---
source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
url: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/monthly/r08/2603p/dl/pdf2603p.pdf
document_type: pdf
date_retrieved: 2026-05-07
period: March 2026
parent_publication: 毎月勤労統計調査 (Monthly Labour Survey)
indicators_covered: [Average Cash Earnings YoY, Overtime Pay YoY]
---

# Monthly Labour Survey — March 2026 (Preliminary Results)

**Release Date:** May 8, 2026  
**Source:** Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省)  
**Survey Period:** March 2026  
**Coverage:** Establishments with 5 or more employees (30+ for some breakdowns)

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## Key Indicators

### Average Cash Earnings (現金給与総額) — Year-over-Year

**All employees (5+ employees):**
- ¥317,254 (+2.7% YoY)
- Scale 30+ employees: ¥358,095 (+3.2% YoY)

**Regular employees (一般労働者):**
- ¥413,495 (+3.3% YoY)

**Part-time employees (パートタイム労働者):**
- ¥112,621 (+1.4% YoY)

### Contractual Cash Earnings (きまって支給する給与) — YoY

- **All employees:** ¥291,517 (+3.0% YoY)
- **Regular:** Included in above breakdown
- **Part-time:** Included in above breakdown

### Scheduled Cash Earnings (所定内給与) — YoY

- **All employees:** ¥271,313 (+3.2% YoY)
- **Regular employees:** ¥348,563 (+3.7% YoY)
- **Part-time employees:** ¥107,061 (+2.0% YoY)

### Overtime Pay (所定外給与) — Year-over-Year

**All employees (5+ employees):**
- Overtime pay increased +1.9% YoY (March 2026)

**Note:** The released document states: "Non-scheduled hours worked decreased by 1.1% from a year earlier." However, overtime *pay* showed a modest increase of 1.9% indicating higher overtime rates despite fewer overtime hours.

### Special Cash Earnings (特別に支払われた給与) — YoY

- ¥25,737 (-1.5% YoY) [Includes bonuses, irregular payments]

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## Real Wages (実質賃金)

Deflating by CPI indices:

- **Excluding imputed rent:** 86.8 (2020=100 base), +1.0% YoY
- **All items:** 88.5 (2020=100 base), +1.3% YoY

*Reference: CPI +1.6% (excl. imputed rent) / +1.5% (all items)*

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## Common Enterprise Wage Growth (共通事業所による賃金)

To remove sample rotation bias:

- **All employees cash earnings:** +2.5% YoY
- **All employees scheduled earnings:** +2.7% YoY
- **Regular employees cash earnings:** +2.5% YoY, scheduled +2.6% YoY
- **Part-time employees cash earnings:** +3.1% YoY, scheduled +3.7% YoY

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## Survey Details

- **Sample size:** 33,102 establishments
- **Respondents:** 21,141 establishments
- **Response rate:** 63.9%

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## Glossary (from document)

- **現金給与総額 (Cash earnings total):** Sum of scheduled (regular) cash earnings and special cash earnings.
- **きまって支給する給与 (Scheduled/Cash earnings regular):** Regular payments (base salary, family allowance, overtime allowance) as defined by labor agreements or rules.
- **所定内給与 (Scheduled within working hours):** Portion of scheduled earnings excluding overtime pay.
- **所定外給与 (Overtime pay):** Pay for work beyond regular hours (overtime, holiday, night work allowances).
- **特別に支払われた給与 (Special cash earnings):** Irregular payments (bonuses, irregular allowances, retroactive base-up adjustments).

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## Notes

1. Preliminary figures subject to revision in final release.
2. A sample rotation occurred in January 2026; previous year comparisons are affected by a ~0.5% discontinuity in total cash earnings.
3. The real wage indices use the Consumer Price Index; the "excluding imputed rent" version is used for purchasing power assessment, while the "all items" version enables international comparison.

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## Verification Against Payload

| Event ID | Indicator | Expected | Documented | Match |
|----------|-----------|----------|-----------|-------|
| 403556 | Average Cash Earnings YoY (All employees) | 2.7% | 2.7% ✓ | Yes |
| 401048 | Overtime Pay YoY (所定外給与) | 1.9% | +1.9% ✓ | Yes |

Both values match the payload exactly.

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*Full source PDF preserved in `raw/403556.pdf`.*