World · East Asia & Pacific · 2 hrs ago
Pay gaps raise fears of childcare worker shortages near Japan's big cities
Municipalities near Tokyo and Osaka fear losing childcare workers to better-paying jobs in the big cities.
In a Chiba Prefecture survey, about 60 percent of responding workers said they wanted to work in Tokyo, and almost 70 percent of that group cited pay and benefits.
Regional differences in national wage supplements contribute to the gap: Tokyo's 23 wards offer a 20 percent supplement, compared with a maximum of 16 percent in Chiba.
Funabashi is offering more than 500,000 yen a year in extra pay to help keep workers, while a nursery operator is offering university students a monthly incentive to work at its facilities after graduating.
Competition is strong: there were 3.88 childcare jobs available for every job seeker nationwide in January, compared with 1.27 across all occupations.
Nara's share of training-school graduates finding jobs outside the prefecture fell from 48 to 42 percent after it began offering workers an extra 10,000 yen a month in fiscal 2024.
Five prefectures have asked the national government to narrow the regional gaps, and the Children and Families Agency plans to present proposed changes around December.
Municipalities near Tokyo and Osaka fear losing childcare workers to better-paying jobs in major cities.
A Chiba Prefecture survey found that about 60 percent of responding childcare workers wanted to work in Tokyo, and almost 70 percent of them cited pay and benefits.
Local governments and employers are offering wage supplements and other incentives to retain and recruit workers.
In July 2026, five prefectures asked the national government to improve pay and working conditions and address regional disparities.
The Children and Families Agency has begun a nationwide survey and plans to propose changes around December.
- Who
- Childcare workers and local governments in prefectures near major cities. Employers are also offering incentives to recruit workers.
- What
- Municipalities fear childcare workers will leave for better-paid jobs in major cities and are trying to retain and recruit staff.
- When
- The issue was raised nationally in July 2026. The agency plans to propose changes around December.
- Where
- Municipalities near major cities including Tokyo and Osaka, as well as Nara Prefecture.
- Why
- Pay and benefits are among the reasons workers want to work in Tokyo. Regional differences in wage supplements contribute to the pay gap.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
About 48 percent of childcare training school graduates in Nara Prefecture found jobs outside the prefecture.
Nara Prefecture began offering childcare workers an extra 10,000 yen a month, after which the share of graduates finding jobs outside the prefecture fell to 42 percent.
A Chiba Prefecture survey found that about 60 percent of responding childcare workers wanted to work in Tokyo.
The nationwide job availability ratio for childcare workers stood at 3.88.
Chiba, Saitama, Nara, Wakayama and Saga asked the Children and Families Agency to improve pay and working conditions and address regional disparities.
The agency launched a nationwide survey of local governments and said it planned to table proposed changes around December.
- Chiba survey
- About 60 percent of respondents wanted to work in Tokyo.
- Reasons cited
- Almost 70 percent of those wanting to work in Tokyo cited pay and benefits.
- Regional supplement rates
- Tokyo's 23 wards: 20 percent; neighboring Chiba Prefecture: maximum 16 percent.
- Funabashi allowance
- More than 500,000 yen a year; the city's supplement rate is 12 percent.
- Childcare job availability
- 3.88 jobs for every 100 job seekers in January, compared with 1.27 across all occupations.
What people are saying
The pay does not match the workload at all,
We are entrusted with children's lives. I want the pay scale raised further.
Improving pay and working conditions in turn leads to better quality of care.
There is only so much local governments can do.