TABLE-Major Japan firms to keep a lid on wages
TOKYO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Nearly 90 percent of Japanese companies said they are not more aggressively looking to lift wages than they have been in the past, a Reuters poll shows, a blow for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he works on his goal of beating deflation.
Below are the questions and answers to the survey from manufacturing and non-manufacturing companies that responded. Replies are denoted in percentage points, while poll and answer totals are represented in actual figures.
Has your firm become more proactive in terms of domestic capital investment than previously? Circle one and give the reason.
Sectors Yes No Polled Replied All 24 76 400 245 Manufacturers 16 84 200 128 Non-Manufacturers 32 68 200 117
Has your firm become more willing to lift personnel costs and wages than previously? Circle one and give the reason.
Sectors Yes No Polled Replied All 11 89 400 247 Manufacturers 7 93 200 128 Non-Manufacturers 15 85 200 119
Looking at capital expenses and wages for the 2013 fiscal year and taking into account demand forecasts and the performance environment, how will the following areas compare to the 2012 fiscal year? Circle one for each question and give the reason.
Domestic capital expenditures
Sectors Sizeable Slight Roughly Cut Polled Replied raise raise same All 3 28 54 15 400 247 Manufacturers 2 21 54 22 200 131 Non-Manufacturers 3 34 54 8 200 116
Wages
Sectors Sizeable Slight Roughly Cut Polled Replied raise raise same All 1 14 79 6 400 244 Manufacturers 1 13 78 8 200 128 Non-Manufacturers 1 16 80 3 200 116
When do you think Japan will get out of deflation and its Consumer Price Index will turn positive?
Sectors Within Within Within On/or Polled Replied 2013 2014 2015 after 2016 All 11 44 27 18 400
250
Manufacturers 12 47 26 15 200
131
Non-Manufacturers 10 39 28 23 200
119
At what level do you want the dollar/yen rate to stabilise? (Circle one)
Sectors Stronger than Around Around Around Weaker than
Polled Replied
Y80 to $1 Y80 to $1 Y85 to $1 Y90 to $1 Y95 to $1 All 0 2 10 39 48 400 250 Manufacturers 1 3 10 36 50 200 131 Non-Manufactu 0 2 10 43 45 200 119
rers
How would you compare your China-related business currently to your initial plan for this business year? (Circle one.)
Sectors Exceed In line with Less 10-30% 30-50% Over Uncer
Polled Replied
initial initial view than 10% fall fall 50% tain view fall fall All 2 26 7 21 5 3 37 400 237 Manufacturers 3 24 8 32 8 2 23 200 128 Non-Manufactu 0 28 6 7 3 5 52 200 109
rers
The Reuters Corporate Survey was conducted for Thomson Reuters by Nikkei Research between Feb. 1 and Feb. 18, with the 400 target companies split evenly between manufacturers and non-manufacturers. Not all firms responded to every question and the companies replied on the condition of anonymity.
(Reporting by James Topham, Izumi Nakagawa; Editing by Neil Fullick)