The average hourly wage for temp workers rose in March in three major Japanese metro areas tracked by Dip Co. Ltd. Those areas were Kanto, Tokai and Kansai. The average hourly wage rose to JPY 1,605 (USD 10.37) in March, an increase of JPY 46, or 3.0%, from the same time last year and an increase of JPY 30 compared to February, a 1.9% increase.

Here’s a breakdown of average hourly wage growth by metro area:

• Kanto. The average hourly wage in March of JPY 1,681 (USD 10.86) was up JPY 25 year over year and up JPY 29 compared to February.
• Tokai. The average hourly wage in March of JPY 1,459 (USD 9.43) was up JPY 70 year over year and up JPY 30 compared to February.
• Kansai. The average hourly wage in March of JPY 1,503 (USD 9.71) was up JPY 69 year over year and up JPY 37 compared to February.

Dip also looked at growth in average hourly wages for several jobs categories in the three metro areas. Among the findings:

• IT/engineer workers saw an average hourly wage of JPY 2,280 (USD 14.73), an increase of JPY 18 from a year ago and an increase of JPY 14 from February.
• Factory/light work/logistics/civil engineering workers saw an average hourly wage of JPY 1,363 (USD 8.81), an increase of JPY 37 from a year ago and an increase of JPY 3 from February.
• Administrative/office workers saw an average hourly wage of JPY 1,551 (USD 10.02), an increase of JPY 28 from a year ago and a decrease of JPY 6 from February.

Information for the analysis is taken from Dip’s Hatarakonet recruitment website.