Photo/Illutration Nintendo Co. sold 28.83 million units of its Nintendo Switch console in fiscal 2020, a record high year-on-year increase of 37 percent. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Salaries are rising at video-game makers, system developers and other businesses catering to the growing computer-related needs of companies and individuals to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey showed.

People stuck at home are increasingly seeking new sources of entertainment while corporations are digitizing and upgrading their computer systems. This has led to booming business for certain companies, which have passed on the higher earnings to their employees, according to the survey by doda, a recruitment site operator, released on Dec. 13, 2021.

Doda analyzed data on 450,000 permanent employees ranging in age from 20 to 65 who were registered on the site for the year through August 2021.

Although salaries overall have dropped during the health crisis, some business sectors have lifted wages.

For example, workers in project management to develop electrical, electronic and mechanical systems reported their annual salaries increased by an average 1.32 million yen ($11,600) to 6.66 million yen in 2021, compared with the previous year.

Unlike engineers who typically focus only on certain areas in creating computer systems, IT workers who can arrange all details in development projects, such as budgets, schedules and staff assignments, are in high demand.

Shinya Katanozaka, president of airline operator ANA Holdings Inc., has acknowledged that his “group is seeking human resources with project management careers.”

Producers of video games and other amusement devices also improved the average salary of their workers by 570,000 yen, or 13 percent year on year, to 4.90 million yen from 4.33 million yen.

“Consumers’ tendency to stay at home increased demand (for such services) while videos of TV celebrities’ playing video games heightened people’s interest in those titles. This seemingly resulted in not only improved business results but also higher annual wages,” Kyoko Kida, chief editor at doda, said in a statement.

Among 165 job categories, investment bank clerk, fund manager and business consultant were among the 10 highest-salary positions in 2021, according to doda’s survey.

Employees at investment banks saw their annual salaries increase by 840,000 yen to 9.03 million yen in 2021, while risk consultants received a wage of 7.04 million yen, up 360,000 yen from the previous year.

The annual pay for those involved in nonclinical research jumped by 340,000 yen to 5.39 million yen, while salaries increased by 300,000 yen to 7 million yen for internal auditing workers.

Elsewhere, average annual salaries were up 510,000 yen to 4.72 million yen in the home mortgage industry; 270,000 yen to 5.58 million yen at stockbrokers; 250,000 yen to 5.23 million yen in the goods lease market; and 130,000 yen to 4.17 million yen among regional banks.

However, the overall average of annual incomes fell by 60,000 yen, or 1.5 percent, to 4.03 million yen from the previous year.

Monthly base salaries and annual bonuses have been slashed during the COVID-19 crisis, while teleworking and shorter business hours have reduced overtime pay in many sectors.

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