Saga Prefecture wage and employment initiatives

Saga Prefecture is implementing various measures to address wage levels and talent retention. Through the ‘NEXT Wage UP Project,’ the prefecture has expanded subsidies for small and medium-sized enterprises, allocating 240 million yen in its June 2026 supplementary budget. To qualify, businesses must implement wage increases of at least 10 percent, with eligible companies receiving up to 40 million yen to cover capital investment and operational improvement costs.

Concurrently, the Saga Prefectural Personnel Commission has recommended significant salary and bonus increases for prefectural employees to Governor Yamaguchi. This proposal, which marks the fifth consecutive year of such recommendations, suggests a 2.98% increase in average monthly salaries and a bonus increase of 0.05 months. To improve talent acquisition, the commission proposed a uniform 9,500 yen increase in starting salaries for high school and university graduates, alongside higher raises for mid-career employees. If implemented, these public sector adjustments are estimated to increase total personnel costs by approximately 3.4 billion yen.