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Japan real wages continue to fall in May despite tight job market
Japan's inflation-adjusted real wages slid in May from a year earlier despite a tightening job market to register a 25th straight month of decline, according to data released on Tuesday. The data highlights the challenge policymakers face in generating a virtuous cycle, under which rising revenues prompt companies to boost wages so that households increase spending. Total cash earnings rose 0.6 per cent in the year to May, increasing for a second straight month, with regular pay up 0.3 per cent, labour ministry data showed. But inflation-adjusted real wages fell 0.1 per cent in May after a revised decline by the same ... (full story)