Most Job Hoppers Didn't End Up With Higher Pay In '12

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Only 31.6% of those who changed jobs in 2012 saw their incomes rise, up 1.2 points from the previous year, while 40.1% took pay cuts, according to the Internal Affairs Ministry.

The ministry tracked the pay of 2.85 million people, including full- and part-time workers, who had switched jobs over the past year.

By age group, 44.2% of those aged 15-24 saw their pay increase, while the figure was at the 30% level for both the 25-34 and 35-44 sets.

The percentage declined to 29.3% for those aged 45-54 and to 12.8% for those aged 55 and up, suggesting that better-paying positions get harder to find as a worker grows older.

By gender, 27.9% of men saw their incomes rise, compared with 35% of women. The gender gap was particularly prominent among those aged 45 and up. Men tend to see their incomes decline when switching to non-full-time jobs after retiring from companies they have worked at for many years.

(The Nikkei, Feb. 23 morning edition)

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