日本調整最低工資

In July the Mainichi News on-line reported the following:

最低賃金:生活保護水準を下回るのは１１都道府県

毎日新聞　2013年07月22日　11時57分（最終更新　07月22日　12時22分）

　最低賃金の改定を議論する中央最低賃金審議会（会長・仁田道夫国士舘大学教授）の小委員会が２２日、厚生労働省で開かれ、中小企業の２０１３年の賃金上昇率は０．８％（前年０．２％）だったと報告された。最低賃金が生活保護水準を下回る「逆転」状態が１１都道府県で生じていることも報告された。

　小委員会に配布された１３年の賃金改定調査によると、全国平均の時給は１３１７円で、前年より１０円（０．８％）上昇した。調査は従業員３０人未満の約４０００事業所を１年前の６月と比較。賃金上昇率が上がった時は、最低賃金額の引き上げ幅も大きくなる傾向がある。

　一方、最低賃金と生活保護水準の逆転は、前年の最低賃金改定で１１都道府県から６都道府県に減ったが、最新のデータでは元に戻った。乖離（かいり）の額は北海道の２２円が最大で、東京都（１３円）、広島県（１１円）などが続いた。他には青森、宮城、埼玉、千葉、神奈川、京都、大阪、兵庫の各府県で逆転が生じていた。

　委員会は賃金上昇率や生活保護費との乖離、企業の支払い能力などを考慮して、最低賃金改定の目安を示す。【東海林智】

(試譯文)

The sub-committee of the Central Minimum Wages Council (the chairman: Professor Michio Nitta of the Kokushikan University) which argued about amendments of the minimum wage was held in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on the 22^nd (July); it was reported that the wage growth rate in 2013 in the small and medium-sized enterprises was 0.8% (0.2% in the previous year). It was also reported that an "inversion" situation occurred in 11 prefectures where the minimum wage was less than the public assistance level.

According to the 2013 revision-of-wage-rate investigation distributed to the subcommittee, the hourly pay of the national average was 1317 yen, there was an increase of 10 yen (0.8%) compared with the previous year. In June a year ago, the investigation compared about 4000 business organizations that had less than 30 employees. When the wage growth rate increased, the scope for the amount of and intended increase in the minimum wage would also tend to increase.

On the other hand, although the inversion of the minimum wage and the public assistance level had decreased from 11 prefectures to six prefectures in the previous year, the newest data showed that it had reversed back. As for the range of deviation, 22 yen in Hokkaido was the maximum and it was followed by Tokyo (13 yen), Hiroshima Prefecture (11 yen) etc. As for others, the inversion had occurred in the prefectures of Aomori, Miyagi, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyogo.

The committee would set the standard of minimum wage amendment in consideration of the deviation between the wage growth rate and the welfare allowances, together with the solvency of the company etc.

How to set the minimum wage is always a difficulty task.