Photo/Illutration Pedestrians walk on a crossing in the Ginza district in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Sep. 27. (Ikuro Aiba)

Average annual pay for employees including part-timers returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in 2021, according to a survey of private-sector companies by the National Tax Agency.

The agency on Sept. 28 released the results of a survey that showed the average annual pay for employees increased for the first time in three years. 

The amount rose to 4.43 million yen ($30,714), up 2.4 percent from the previous year.

One major factor for the increase is that performances of companies hit hard by the pandemic have been recovering to some extent, which is reflected in their employees’ pay, according to analysts.

Male employees’ average annual salary was 5.45 million yen, up 2.5 percent from the previous year.

Female employees were paid 3.02 million yen on average, an annual increase of 3.2 percent.

This was the highest figure for the annual average pay for female employees since 1978 and marked the first time it topped 3 million yen.

Officials started conducting separate annual surveys of average salaries of male and female employees in 1978.

The annual average pay for permanent employees, including males and females, was 5.08 million yen in 2021.

In comparison, those who were not permanent employees, such as part-timers, including males and females, earned 1.98 million yen on average.

The difference in the annual average pay between the two groups has been getting smaller, according to officials. It was 3.1 million yen last year.

The average bonus increased for the first time in two years in 2021. It was 670,000 yen, up 3.1 percent from the previous year.

Average bonuses notably rose among industries severely hit by the pandemic.

The amount increased 14.2 percent in the hotel or restaurant industry and 13.1 percent in the service industry.

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