Japan Salary Guide 2011

Lionel Kaidatzis, Managing Director, Japan, talks about Morgan McKinley's Japan Salary Guide 2011.

This salary guide provides market intelligence on hiring and remuneration trends across financial services and accounting & finance in Japan.

There will undoubtedly be significant impacts on these markets following the country’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in March. We have all been deeply saddened by this tragic event. As the country attempts to recover, it is going to become increasingly important to sustain the Japanese economy. As well as looking after our own employees, our primary focus as recruitment experts is to help our clients and candidates as much as we can. We will be supporting companies in meeting their immediate resourcing needs, to ensure that where possible, their business operations can continue.

The salary information and commentary provided in this guide has been compiled by our researchers, from regular contact with employers and candidates in financial services and accountancy across Japan. In 2010 we saw reasonably strong demand for financial services professionals in Tokyo particularly in the first three quarters. There was some growth within certain areas but for the most part the majority of hires were either back-fills on headcount that had been sacrificed during the financial crisis or replacement and upgrade hiring. A number of ongoing global economic issues created a ‘softer’ than expected Q4 in Japan, which had the knock-on effect of making most financial services institutions more cautious with their head-count requirements. Moving into 2011 an immediate surge in hiring levels was not expected; rather a slow increase in demand up to bonus season was anticipated.

Given the high profile global debate over bankers’ compensation there has been significant focus on the format of compensation within many financial institutions. This guide to base salaries combines our findings and our in-depth knowledge of the sector.

Hiring volume for finance and accounting professionals across the commerce & industry market recovered slowly but steadily in 2010. Nearly all vacancies were replacement hires and salaries remained at a relatively steady level.

In 2011 we are now seeing growth in the SNS (social networking services), pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, as well as a continued recovery in the luxury brands/consumer goods sectors. The focus, however, is still likely to be maintenance rather then growth in most organisations. We hope you find this guide informative and we welcome any feedback you may have. For more specific salary or hiring information, please contact us directly.

Download our 2011 Japan Salary Guide >>

Lionel Kaidatzis
Managing Director | Japan
T: +81 (0)3 5403 7064
E: lkaidatzis@morganmckinley.co.jp