Japan retailer Aeon to hike part-time wage by 7% for 400,000 workers

Retailer increases pay more than inflation to counter labor crunch

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A worker at an Aeon store in Chiba prefecture stocks the fish counter. Aeon's retail operations include supermarkets, malls and drugstores. © Reuters

RYO ASAYAMA and SHOTARO MORI, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Major Japanese retailer Aeon will increase hourly wages for part timers by an average of 7% as early as March, as the economic recovery from the coronavirus intensifies competition for the country's workers.

Aeon is Japan's largest employer of part timers, and is believed to be responsible for around 2% of all domestic irregular workers. Its decision could trigger further hikes across industry lines for such laborers.

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