日本大型制造企业将给员工加薪

Major Japanese manufacturers are raising base wages for the first time in years, responding to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's request for action ahead of a sales tax increase that is widely expected to lead to a temporary economic slowdown.

日本主要制造商将数年来首次提高基本工资，对首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)提出的在销售税上调之前采取行动的要求做出回应。外界广泛预计销售税上调将导致暂时性的经济放缓。

Concerned about the impact that a combination of stagnant wage growth and rising prices would have on consumption, Mr. Abe has directly exhorted corporate leaders since last year to raise regular salaries. Japan's base wages have fallen since the late 1990s and the premier sees a reversal in this trend as crucial for the success of his pro-growth strategies.

由于担心工资不涨而物价上升会给消费带来影响，安倍晋三自去年以来就直接指示公司高管提高常规工资水平。日本基本工资自上世纪九十年代末以来就在下降，安倍晋三认为，扭转工资下降趋势是他的促增长策略能否取得成功的关键。

Following annual wage negotiations between unions and employers that wrap up Wednesday, many leading companies, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Panasonic Corp., said they would offer base pay raises. In Japan, manufacturers typically announce the results of their labor talks first, often setting the tone for the rest of the country.

周三工会与雇主之间的年度薪资谈判结束之后，包括丰田汽车公司(Toyota Motor Co.)和松下电器产业公司(Panasonic Co.)在内的很多领军企业表示将提高基本工资水平。在日本，制造业企业一般会率先公布劳资谈判结果，为国内其他行业定下基调。

Predicting a record net profit for the current fiscal year, Toyota said it will increase base monthly salaries by an average Yen2,700 per worker from April. While that figure falls short of the Yen4,000 per month raise that the firm's labor unions were demanding, it is well over the previous Yen1,000 raise in 2008.

丰田汽车预计当前财政年度将实现创纪录的净利润。该公司称将从4月份开始将每位员工的基本月薪平均提高2,700日圆。虽然这个数字低于该公司工会要求的4,000日圆，但远远高于2008年1,000日圆的涨幅。

Honda Motor Co. said it will lift base wages by an average of Yen2,200 per worker. The company also decided to pay bonuses equivalent to close to half a year's worth of monthly pay, in line with its union's request.

本田汽车(Honda Motor Co.)宣布每位员工基本工资平均上调2,200日圆。该公司还决定向员工支付相当于近六个月工资的年终奖，与工会的要求一致。

Panasonic Corp., Hitachi Ltd., NEC Corp., Toshiba Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. all said they will offer monthly increases of Yen2,000 per employee.

松下电器产业公司、日立公司(Hitachi Ltd.)、日本电气公司(NEC Corporation)、东芝公司(Toshiba Co.)和三菱电机(Mitsubishi Electric Co.)都表示，他们将把每位员工的月工资上调2,000日圆。

Even though the figures are relatively small, economists took the news positively, noting that higher base pay will also further boost overtime rates and bonus payments and would have a larger net effect.

尽管工资上调幅度相对较小，但经济学家们对这些加薪消息持肯定态度，他们指出，基本工资上调还将进一步促进加班费和奖金上调，将产生更大的实际效果。

'The figures that have come out so far are relatively strong,' said Yoshimasa Maruyama, senior economist at Itochu Economic Research Institute.

伊藤忠经济研究所(Itochu Economic Research Institute)高级经济学家丸山义正(Yoshimasa Maruyama)表示，迄今为止公布的工资上调数字相对来说还不错。

But even with overtime, bonuses and other payments included, the salary rises still appear to fall short of a 3% rise expected for the nation's consumer price index. Prices are expected to jump in part due to an increase in the sales tax from 5% to 8% on April 1. That will mean that even with higher wages, compensation levels will fall in real terms, eroding consumers' purchasing power.

但即便是把加班费、奖金和其他薪酬项目包括在内，工资上涨幅度似乎仍不到3%，即预期中的日本消费者价格指数(CPI)升幅。价格可能将出现大幅上涨，部分原因是4月1日销售税将从5%上调至8%。这就意味着，尽管工资水平更高了，但实际意义上的薪酬水平还是会下降，从而侵蚀消费者的购买力。

'It could have a positive impact on the mind-set of consumers if people see increases in their nominal wages,' Mr. Maruyama said.

丸山义正说，名义工资的上涨可能会对消费者心态有正面影响。