求人難で賃上げ拡大　価格転嫁は不十分―中小企業白書

　政府は１０日、２０２４年版の中小企業白書を閣議決定した。雇用の約７割を占める中小企業において、求人難や物価高を背景とした賃上げが拡大していると指摘。ただ、政府が推進する「持続的な賃上げ」の実現に向けては、原資の確保のための価格転嫁が不十分だと強調した。
　白書によると、２４年に賃上げを実施予定と回答した中小企業の割合は６１．３％だった。原材料費などのコスト上昇分を、中小企業が取引価格に反映できた価格転嫁率（２３年９月時点）は４５．７％にとどまった。（2024/05/10-19:01）

Wage hikes are spreading among small companies in Japan, which account for about 70 pct of the country's employment, on the back of labor shortages and price increases, according to a Japanese government white paper.
   At the same time, the 2024 White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises in Japan said that such firms need to step up moves to pass on higher costs to prices and secure sufficient funds to boost wages, in order to achieve sustainable wage growth.
   According to the white paper, which was adopted at Friday's cabinet meeting, 61.3 pct of small companies in Japan plan to raise wages in 2024, while the price pass-through rate for such firms stood at 45.7 pct as of September 2023, showing that many small companies are still unable to have raw material and other cost increases reflected in transaction prices.
   The white paper also pointed out that labor productivity of Japan is lower than that of other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with labor shortages becoming more serious amid an economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.
   There is a growing need to increase labor productivity at small companies in order for Japan to achieve economic growth that can compete internationally, the white paper said.