TOKYO — The gap between the ideal and reality for summer bonuses in Japan is expected to be more than 400,000 yen (about $2,600) on average, a survey of those wishing to switch jobs has revealed.
Tokyo-based Mynavi Corp., which operates employment information websites, conducted the online survey from May 1 to 7, targeting full-time employees in their 20s to 50s nationwide who had sought to switch jobs in April and those who planned to seek new positions between May and July, and received responses from 1,342 people.
It found that half of the respondents cited small bonuses as a reason for changing employment, indicating that bonuses seem to be a major factor in giving up on a company.
According to the survey results, the ideal bonus amount commensurate with one’s job was 948,000 yen (approx. $6,100) on average, but the reality of the average bonus amount expected this summer is 518,000 yen (roughly $3,330), close to last year’s summer bonus amount averaging at 501,000 yen. The gap between the ideal and reality was as much as 430,000 yen (about $2,770).
When asked if they felt there was momentum for an increase for this summer’s bonus, a total of 62.2% of respondents answered either “I don’t think so” or “I don’t really think so.” In particular, that rate rose to 70.2% among those who were not in managerial positions.
Meanwhile, when asked if they had been happy with the amount of their bonus last summer, 53.6% of respondents said that they had been either “not satisfied” or “not that satisfied.” The survey also found that those who are less pleased with their bonuses tend to be less happy with their own evaluations.
Some 49.2% of respondents said that they had changed jobs because of small bonuses. By age bracket, the younger the respondents were, the more likely they were to have cited small bonuses as a reason for switching employment, with respondents citing it as the primary reason comprising 35.2% among those in their 20s, forming the largest group.
Researcher Akari Asahina of Mynavi Career Research Lab commented, “Fostering a sense of satisfaction with bonuses and evaluations is likely the key to increasing employee motivation and engagement with the company, and may lead to higher retention rates in the future.”
(Japanese original by Tsuyoshi Goto, Business News Department)