The average hourly wage for dispatched workers in April stood at JPY 1,559 (USD 11.23), up JPY 55 (USD 0.40) or 3.65%, from the previous year, and unchanged from the previous month, according to research by Dip Corp., a staffing firm and job board operator based in Tokyo.

The wage was a record high for the second consecutive month.

Dip Corp’s data found that the number of temporary staffing/introductory temporary staffing job openings was approximately 154,000, down 16.3% year-on-year and down 20.2% month-on-month.

By region, the average hourly wage for temporary workers stood at JPY 1,659 (USD 11.96) in the Kanto area, up JPY 67 (USD 0.48) from the previous year, up  JPY 3 (USD 0.02) from the previous month); JPY 1,382 (USD 9.96) in the Tokai area, up JPY 14 (USD 0.10) from the previous year, down JPY 7 (USD 0.05) from the previous month, and JPY 1,440 (USD 10.38) in the Kansai area, an increase of JPY 55 (USD 0.40) from the previous year, and an increase of JPY 6 (USD 0.04) from the previous month.

Meanwhile, the average hourly wage for part-time workers in April stood at JPY 1,236 (USD 8.91) up JPY 27 (USD 0.19) from the previous year, and down JPY 9 (USD 0.06) from the previous month.

The number of job openings posted on part-time job information site Baitoru stood at approximately 305,000, up 2.8% from the previous year and down 0.5% from the previous month.

The average hourly wage in the Kanto area for part-time workers stood at JPY 1,270 (USD 9.15), up JPY 25 (USD 0.18) from the previous year and down JPY 17 (USD 0.12) from the previous month.

In the Tokai area, the average hourly wage stood at JPY 1,193, up JPY 26 (USD 0.19) from the previous year, but down JPY 8 (USD 0.06) from the previous month. The average hourly wage in the Kyushu area was JPY 1,179, up JPY 43 (USD 0.31) year-on-year and up JPY 31 (USD 0.22) month-on-month.