Average overtime at Japanese companies rose 4 percent in November from a year earlier to 10.5 hours, the 17th straight monthly gain, the government said in a report released Friday.
The biggest factor in the increase was an 8.7 percent rise in the manufacturing sector, where overtime increased for the 19th month in a row, underlining the current economic recovery, according to officials of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
"The economy continues to recover," a ministry official said.
The average wage fell 0.5 percent to 291,825 yen, down for the second straight month, reflecting a rise in the number of low-paid part-time workers, the officials said.