Recent Statistical Survey Reports, September 2009

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Statistical Survey Reports

Survey on Employment Trends (2008)

Tuesday, September 8, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

The hiring rate (the ratio of hired employees to regular employees at the beginning of the new year) was 14.2%, decreased by 1.7 points from the previous year, and the separation rate (the ratio of separated employees to regular employees at the beginning of the new year) was 14.6%, decreased by 0.8 points from the previous year, both decreased for 3 consecutive years.

Regarding the reasons of job separation, 73.4% (decreased by 0.9 points from the previous year), the highest cited “Personal reasons”, followed by 10.7% (increased by 0.5 points from the previous year) “Expiration of contract”, 8.2% (increased by 0.8 points from the previous year) “Business or employer's reason” and 4.8 % (increased by 0.3 points from the previous year) “Mandatory retirement age”.

Looking at the wage of hired employees who changed occupations, those who admit 33.2% of them cited that the wage was “increased from the previous occupation” (decreased by 0.6 points from the previous year), and 33.5% cited “decreased” (increased by 3.2 points from the previous year), while 32.2% cited “unchanged” (decreased by 2.4 points from the previous year).

Indexes of Business Conditions (Preliminary Report for July)

Wednesday, September 9, released by the Cabinet Office

The Coincident Index of Composite Index (CI, preliminary figures, 2005=100) in July was 89.6, an increase of 1.0 points, 3 months backward moving average increased for 3 consecutive months, an increase of 1.13 points, and 7 months backward moving average decreased for 17 consecutive months, a decrease of 0.15 points. So the Assessment of Coincident Index was "Halting to fall". The Leading Index was 83.0, an increase of 2.1 points, and the Lagging Index was 82.4, a decrease of 1.7 points.

Conditions Relating to Claim and Result of Spring Wage Negotiation
(major business establishments) (2009)

Thursday, September 10, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

The average pay raise agreed upon of 308 major business establishments with the capital one billion yen or more and the labour union belonged by 1,000 employees or more was 5,630 yen, decreased by 519 yen from a year earlier (6,149 yen). The wage increase percentage was 1.83%, decreased by 0.16 points from a year earlier (1.99%).

National Accounts (The 2nd Preliminary Estimates Apr.-Jun. 2009)

Friday, September 11, released by the Cabinet Office

Real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth rate (Seasonally Adjusted) was 0.6% (2.3% on annual basis), a decrease of 0.3 points (1.4 points on annual basis) from the 1st Preliminary estimates.

Of real GDP growth rate, -1.1% was contributed by domestic demand and 1.6% by external demand.

Quartely Estimates of GDP: Apr. ~Jun. 2009 (The 2nd Preliminary Estimates)
Growth rate of GDP from the previous Quarters(seasonally adjusted)
Contributions of Domestic Demand and External Demand to Changes in GDP

Survey on Preliminary Offer of Hiring New Graduates in FY 2009 (Senior and Junior High) (End of July)

Friday, September 11, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

The ratio of job openings to applicants for final-grade senior high school students was 0.71, 0.60 points lower than the previous year.

The ratio of job openings to applicants for final-grade junior high school students was 0.19, 0.19 points lower than the previous year.

Survey of Wage and Salaries in Private Firms (2008)

Friday, September 25, released by the National Tax Administration

The number of salaried employees who had worked throughout a year was 45.87 million, increased by 1.0%, 450 thousand people from the previous year, and the average annual income per salaried employee accounted for 4.30 million yen, decreased by 1.7%, 76 thousand yen from the previous year.

Consumer Price Index (August)

Tuesday, September 29, released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

The Consumer Price Index was 100.4, a decrease of 2.2% from the same month the year before, decreased for 7 consecutive months. Omitting Fresh food, the comprehensive index was 100.1, a decrease of 2.4% from the same month the year before, decreased for 6 consecutive months.

And in the ward -areas of Tokyo in September, the former accounted for 99.9, a decrease of 2.0% from the same month the year before. The latter accounted for 99.7, a decrease of 2.1% from the same month the year before.

Survey on Technological Innovation and Labour (2008)

Tuesday, September 29, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

The ratio of business establishments using computers totaled 97.0% (96.3% in the last survey in 2003), while the ratio of establishments changed their working conditions with the introduction of computers within the past five years, accounted for 9.5% (8.7%). Asked about details of the changes, 63.5% (62.8%) answered “reduction of working hours (including non-scheduled hours worked)” and 42.3% (38.7%) answered “adoption of payment by results and based on abilities” (multiple answers).

The ratio of clerical, sales and related workers (neither manufacturing workers nor labourer) who use computers accounted for 87.5% (86.2% in the last 2003 survey). As for details of changes in work style due to introduction of computers, 71.4% (73.1%) of them answered “knowledge and skill to handle the equipment became necessary”, 66.1% (62.3%) answered “speed up of business processing” and 52.2% (49.9%) answered “increase of tasks such as entry of data and words”.

Questionnaire on balancing of work and life for people bringing up children

Tuesday, September 29, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Concerning wishful priority and realities about work and life of regular employees with pre-school children, 58.4% of men wished “balancing of work and life”, 28.0% wished “give the higher priority to working (“in concentration of work” and “wish to give the higher priority to working if anything”)” and 13.6% wished “give the higher priority to life (“in concentration of life” and “wish to give the higher priority to life if anything”)”. On the other hand, in reality 74.0% of them said “give the higher priority to working”, 22.1% said “balancing of work and life” and 3.9% said “give the higher priority to life”. Meanwhile 52.3% of women wished “balancing of work and life”, 39.9% wished “give the higher priority to life” and 7.7% wished “give the higher priority to working”. In reality 46.7% of them said “balancing of work and life”, 31.2 % said “give the higher priority to working” and 22.1% said “give the higher priority to life”.

Indices of Industrial Production (August)

Wednesday, September 30, released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

The index of industrial production (seasonally adjusted) increased by 1.8% from the previous month.

According to the Survey of Production Forecast in Manufacturing, Production is expected to increase in September and October. The Synthetic judgment is “Industrial Production continues to show an upward movement.”

Monthly Labour Survey (Preliminary Report in August)

Wednesday, September 30, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Total amount of cash earnings (for business establishments with 5 or more employees) decreased by 3.1% from a year earlier, and contractual cash earnings decreased by 1.9% from a year earlier.

Scheduled cash earnings decreased by 1.0%, non-scheduled cash earnings decreased by 13.4%, and special cash earnings decreased by 22.0% from a year earlier. Real wage (total) decreased by 0.5% from a year earlier.

Non-scheduled hours worked by manufacturing industry workers at business establishments with 5 or more employees increased by 7.0% from the previous month (seasonally adjusted).

Survey on Fixed-term Employment contract (2009)

Wednesday, September 30, released by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Business establishments Survey

The ratio of business establishments hiring fixed term contract employees was 35.9%, and the ratio of fixed term contract employees among regular employees accounted for 22.2%.

Regarding the reasons why they hired fixed term contract employees, 38.9%, the highest business establishments answered because it enable them to cope with middle and long term changes of work load. In the next place, 37.7% of them answered “to save personnel expenses (wages, welfares and so on)”, 24.3% answered “to adjust employment easily for rapid change of work load”, and 22.1% answered “to utilize the elderly who have experiences”.

Individual fixed term contract employees Survey

By type of work assignment, 39.0%, the highest of fixed term contract employees surveyed answered “easy work”. And 36.4% answered “the same work as regular employees”, 17.0% answered “different work and the same level of work as regular employees”, and 4.4% answered “utilizing higher skills”.

By type of employment, 34.6%, the highest of them answered “dispatched employees”, 26.0% answered “contract employees” and 15.5% answered “other part-time employees”.

By amount of annual income, 31.2%, the highest of fixed term contract employees answered “1~2 million yen”, 25.2% answered “2~3 million yen”, and 20.3% answered “0.5~1 million yen”.

The ratio of fixed term contract employees who have renewed current contract was 71.9% and the average number of their contract renewals was 5.7 times.

TANKAN (Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises) (September)

Thursday, October 1, released by the Bank of Japan(PDF:196KB)

The Diffusion Index (DI) (“Favorable”- “Unfavorable”) for business conditions in large enterprises of the manufacturing was -33 (-48 in the previous quarter and forecast -21 in the coming quarter), and the non-manufacturing DI was -24 (-29 in the previous quarter and forecast -17 in the coming quarter).The Diffusion Index (DI) (“Excessive”- “Insufficient”) for employment conditions in large enterprises of all industries was 18 (20 in the previous quarter and forecast 12 in the coming quarter).

Business Sentiment(For Large Enterprise)

Family Income and Expenditure Survey (August)

Friday, October 2, released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

The average monthly income for a worker's household with 2 or more family members was decreased by 2.0% in real terms from the same month a year before.

With regard to the income contributing to increase - decrease rate, contribution of income earned by head of household accounted for -0.80 %, partner's income accounted for 0.25%, non-current income accounted for 0.11%.

Labour Force Survey (August)

Friday, October 2, released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Report on Employment Service (August)

Friday, October 2, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

The unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) was 5.5%, decreased by 0.2 points from the previous month. That for men was 5.8%, decreased by 0.3 points from the previous month, and that for women was 5.0%, decreased by 0.1 points from the previous month.

The number of unemployed persons increased by 890 thousand from a year earlier to 3.61 million.

The number of employees (seasonally adjusted) increased by 220 thousand from the previous month to 54.59 million.

The ratio of active job openings to applicants (seasonally adjusted) was 0.42, unchanged from the previous month.

Trend in Unemployment Rate and Ratio of Active Job
Openings to Applicants

Other Reports

Monthly Economic Report (September)

Tuesday, September 8, released by the Cabinet Office

The economy is showing movements of picking up recently while in a difficult situation such as a rise in the unemployment rate to an all-time high. (In the previous month,“while in a difficult situation”.)

• Exports and Industrial production are picking up. (The same as the previous month)
• Corporate profits are decreasing substantially, but the downward pace has become moderate. Business investment is decreasing. (In the previous month, “Corporate profits are decreasing very substantially and business investment is decreasing substantially.”)
• The employment situation is becoming increasingly severe. (In the previous month, “The employment situation, which is worsening rapidly, is severe”).
• Private consumption is showing movements of picking up recently. (The same as the previous month)

Monthly Economic Labour Report (September)

Wednesday, September 9, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

In looking at the aspects of labor and economy, the employment situation is becoming increasingly severe. (In the previous month, “the employment situation, which is worsening rapidly, is severe.”)