Salary increase to provide 'peace of mind' amid rising costs in Japan
Sega is increasing the base salary of its full-time employees in Japan in a bid to attract more workers and support staff amid rising costs of living.
The video game publisher, in a Japanese press statement, said it will revise the salary levels of full-time employees by approximately 10% starting from April 1.
The change will also lift the starting salary for university graduates joining the company by 10%, increasing it from JPY300,000 to JPY330,000.
The company attributed the salary increase to the recruitment and development of its talent to strengthen global competitiveness.
It also aims to create an environment where employees can work with "peace of mind" in the wake of recent social changes, such as rising prices.
"We believe that human resources are essential to achieving our mission and creating and providing new value, and we are working to reform our personnel system in various ways to ensure that employees can maximise their potential in a comfortable working environment," the company said in its statement, as translated from Japanese.
According to Sega, it is also eyeing expanded measures that will support employees' different working styles. Among them are systems that will support:
- Childcare and nursing care
- Side jobs aimed at creating new innovations
Japan's rising costs
Sega's salary increase comes as most households in Japan cite the rising prices in the country as a burden, according to data from Kauche, a shopping-app provider.
As a result, 47% of households said they are cutting back on food and dining out, while another 30.1% are cutting back on hobbies and leisure.
"My salary isn't increasing so I don't know what more I can cut back on," said one of Kauche's respondents, as quoted in a Nippon.com report.
Real wages dropped for the ninth consecutive month in September, according to data from Japan's Labour Ministry. The largest labour group in the country, Rengo, said it would seek wage hikes of five per cent or more in 2026, Reuters reported.
