Average monthly pay for construction workers in 2014 rose 1.4% from a year earlier to 376,273 yen, recording increase for consecutive two years, said Japanese ministry of labor on February 4. The level was highest in the recent ten years except in 2011 when the earthquake hit east Japan. The turnover rate has also seen the lowest in ten years. With the increasing number of craft workers, the construction industry has enjoyed a virtuous circle.

Average pay per month of construction jobs was higher than that of all industries, which marked 316,694 yen. The turnover rate in construction dropped to 1.35% in 2014, the lowest since 2005, though still higher than the average of all industries. Infrastructure ministry and the industry has taken actions toward higher pay level for crafts workers since 2013. The pay hike is believed to be one of the factors responsible for an increasing number of new entries and holding construction employees from leaving the workforce. (2015/02/05)