Were There Benefits to Wage Hikes? Survey Reveals Increased Take-Home Pay is Consumed by Living Expenses and Future Worries, Not Hobbies and Entertainment
A survey by J:COM reveals that despite recent wage increases, most people are using the extra income to cover rising living costs and save for the future, rather than for leisure. The study found that over 70% of respondents allocate 20% or less of their pay raise to hobbies and entertainment, with many forced to dip into long-term savings for large expenses. This highlights a persistent financial strain where the benefits of higher wages are not translating into increased discretionary spending.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 15:03 (3h 31m after Collected)
JCOM Financial Co., Ltd., a group company of JCOM Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Yoichi Iwaki), conducted a "Survey on the Use of Disposable Income Amid Wage Increases" targeting individuals (men and women in their 20s to 60s) whose take-home pay has increased in the last year. This survey sheds light on how people are using their increased income, how they handle large expenses, and their financial values concerning the future.
＜Background＞
While topics related to salary increases, such as high-level wage hikes in recent spring labor negotiations and raises in starting salaries, continue to make headlines, the cost of living, including food and utilities, also continues to rise, keeping household finances under pressure. In this environment, understanding how people who have actually experienced wage or take-home pay increases are using that extra money is crucial for considering future consumer trends. Therefore, J:COM conducted the "Survey on the Use of Disposable Income Amid Wage Increases" targeting people whose take-home pay has increased in the last year.
＜Survey Summary＞
・Monthly take-home pay increases over the past year are polarized: while a majority saw an increase of "less than 10,000 yen," about one in four saw a significant increase of "30,000 yen or more."
・The main uses for the increased income are "supplementing daily living expenses" and "savings and investments for the future," but about one in four are proactively using it "for themselves now," such as for hobbies and self-investment.
・More than one in four people are allocating "about 90% to 100%" of their increased take-home pay to living expenses.
・About 70% of those with increased take-home pay said that the proportion they could spend on hobbies, entertainment, and social expenses was "20% or less."
・When faced with a large expense that cannot be covered by cash on hand, over 40% of people "break into assets such as time deposits or investments," while about one in four use "credit card installments/revolving payments" or "loans from financial institutions."
・Regarding future money management and spending habits, the largest group wants to "balance preparing for the future with enjoying present life," followed by the group that wants to "prioritize secure savings for the future."
＜Survey Overview＞
Survey Period: March 9 - March 10, 2026
Survey Method: Internet survey
Survey Target: People (men and women in their 20s-60s) whose take-home pay has increased in the past year.
Number of Respondents: 330
Monitor Provider: RC Research Data
Increase in take-home pay over the past year is highly polarized. While a majority saw an increase of "less than 10,000 yen," about one in four saw a significant increase of "30,000 yen or more."
First, when asked, "By how much has your monthly take-home pay increased in the last year?", the top answers were tied at 21.2% for both "less than 3,000 yen" and "10,000 yen to less than 30,000 yen." This was followed by "5,000 yen to less than 10,000 yen" at 17.9%, and "3,000 yen to less than 5,000 yen" at 16.1%. Summing up the responses, while more than half of the people saw their take-home pay increase by "less than 10,000 yen" per month, about one in four saw an increase of "30,000 yen or more," suggesting a division between those who are benefiting greatly from wage increases and those who are not.
The main uses for the increased income are "supplementing daily living expenses" and "savings and investments for the future," while about one in four are proactively using it "for themselves now" for hobbies and self-investment.
Next, when asked, "What is the primary use of your increased take-home pay?", the top answer was "supplementing daily living expenses" at 32.1%, followed by "savings and investments for the future" at 23.0%, and "not particularly decided" at 16.4%. While many are pragmatic, using the money to protect their daily household finances, about one in four are also able to proactively spend money "for themselves now" on things like self-investment, dining out, social expenses, hobbies, and leisure. This shows a split in how the increased take-home pay is utilized, between a group prioritizing daily life and future preparations, and a group investing it back into enjoying the present.
More than one in four people are allocating "about 90% to 100%" of their increased take-home pay to living expenses.
Next, when asked, "What percentage of your increased take-home pay do you allocate to supplement living expenses?", the top answer was "about 90% to 100%" at 26.4%, followed by "about 10% to 20%" at 24.6%, and "0%" at 18.5%. This result shows that more than one in four people whose take-home pay has increased in the last year are using "about 90% to 100%" of that increase for living expenses.
About 70% of those with increased take-home pay said that the proportion they could spend on hobbies, entertainment, and social expenses was "20% or less."
Furthermore, in response to the question, "What percentage of your increased take-home pay are you able to spend on hobbies, entertainment, and social expenses?", the top answer was "about 10% to 20%" at 37.6%, followed by "0%" at 33.6%, and "about 30% to 40%" at 12.4%. This result reveals that for over 70% of people whose take-home pay has increased in the last year, the proportion they can spend on hobbies, entertainment, and social expenses is "20% or less."
When cash on hand is not enough for a large expense, over 40% of people "break into assets such as time deposits or investments," while about one in four use "credit card installments/revolving payments" or "loans from financial institutions."
Next, when asked, "What do you do when you have a large expense that cannot be covered by the funds you have on hand?", the top answer was "break into assets such as time deposits or investments" at 41.2%, followed by "postpone the expense and endure it" at 38.2%, and "use credit card installment or revolving payments" at 16.4%. This result reveals the reality that over 40% of people with increased take-home pay in the last year "deal with large expenses that exceed their cash on hand by breaking into their assets like time deposits and investments." At the same time, a certain number of people choose "credit card installments/revolving payments" or "loans from financial institutions." This suggests that when faced with sudden large expenses, a significant number of people are dipping into time deposits and investment assets that were originally intended for the future.
Regarding future money management and spending habits, the largest group wants to "balance preparing for the future with enjoying present life," followed by the group that wants to "prioritize secure savings for the future."
Finally, at the end of the survey, when asked, "Which of the following best describes your approach to managing and using your money in the future?", the top answer was "I want to strike a good balance between preparing for the future and enriching my current life" at 22.4%, followed by "I want to prioritize secure savings for the future" at 19.4%, and "I want to actively grow my money through investments and asset management, not just savings" at 17.3%.
Conclusion
The results of this survey revealed that even when take-home pay increases, much of it is allocated to supplementing living expenses and preparing for the future, and is not being spent on "enjoying the present," such as hobbies and entertainment. It also became clear that when a large expense arises that cannot be covered by cash on hand, many people are breaking into assets they have built up, such as time deposits and investments. In this situation, the perspective of securing funds without interrupting asset formation for the future is expected to become increasingly important.
Based on these survey results, JCOM Financial Co., Ltd. offers the "J:COM Premium Loan" as one option to meet sudden funding needs while avoiding the depletion of assets, supporting household financial management that allows people to maintain their lifestyle while protecting their valuable assets.
J:COM Premium Loan (Details here): https://www.jcom-financial.co.jp/
＜Background＞
While topics related to salary increases, such as high-level wage hikes in recent spring labor negotiations and raises in starting salaries, continue to make headlines, the cost of living, including food and utilities, also continues to rise, keeping household finances under pressure. In this environment, understanding how people who have actually experienced wage or take-home pay increases are using that extra money is crucial for considering future consumer trends. Therefore, J:COM conducted the "Survey on the Use of Disposable Income Amid Wage Increases" targeting people whose take-home pay has increased in the last year.
＜Survey Summary＞
・Monthly take-home pay increases over the past year are polarized: while a majority saw an increase of "less than 10,000 yen," about one in four saw a significant increase of "30,000 yen or more."
・The main uses for the increased income are "supplementing daily living expenses" and "savings and investments for the future," but about one in four are proactively using it "for themselves now," such as for hobbies and self-investment.
・More than one in four people are allocating "about 90% to 100%" of their increased take-home pay to living expenses.
・About 70% of those with increased take-home pay said that the proportion they could spend on hobbies, entertainment, and social expenses was "20% or less."
・When faced with a large expense that cannot be covered by cash on hand, over 40% of people "break into assets such as time deposits or investments," while about one in four use "credit card installments/revolving payments" or "loans from financial institutions."
・Regarding future money management and spending habits, the largest group wants to "balance preparing for the future with enjoying present life," followed by the group that wants to "prioritize secure savings for the future."
＜Survey Overview＞
Survey Period: March 9 - March 10, 2026
Survey Method: Internet survey
Survey Target: People (men and women in their 20s-60s) whose take-home pay has increased in the past year.
Number of Respondents: 330
Monitor Provider: RC Research Data
Increase in take-home pay over the past year is highly polarized. While a majority saw an increase of "less than 10,000 yen," about one in four saw a significant increase of "30,000 yen or more."
First, when asked, "By how much has your monthly take-home pay increased in the last year?", the top answers were tied at 21.2% for both "less than 3,000 yen" and "10,000 yen to less than 30,000 yen." This was followed by "5,000 yen to less than 10,000 yen" at 17.9%, and "3,000 yen to less than 5,000 yen" at 16.1%. Summing up the responses, while more than half of the people saw their take-home pay increase by "less than 10,000 yen" per month, about one in four saw an increase of "30,000 yen or more," suggesting a division between those who are benefiting greatly from wage increases and those who are not.
The main uses for the increased income are "supplementing daily living expenses" and "savings and investments for the future," while about one in four are proactively using it "for themselves now" for hobbies and self-investment.
Next, when asked, "What is the primary use of your increased take-home pay?", the top answer was "supplementing daily living expenses" at 32.1%, followed by "savings and investments for the future" at 23.0%, and "not particularly decided" at 16.4%. While many are pragmatic, using the money to protect their daily household finances, about one in four are also able to proactively spend money "for themselves now" on things like self-investment, dining out, social expenses, hobbies, and leisure. This shows a split in how the increased take-home pay is utilized, between a group prioritizing daily life and future preparations, and a group investing it back into enjoying the present.
More than one in four people are allocating "about 90% to 100%" of their increased take-home pay to living expenses.
Next, when asked, "What percentage of your increased take-home pay do you allocate to supplement living expenses?", the top answer was "about 90% to 100%" at 26.4%, followed by "about 10% to 20%" at 24.6%, and "0%" at 18.5%. This result shows that more than one in four people whose take-home pay has increased in the last year are using "about 90% to 100%" of that increase for living expenses.
About 70% of those with increased take-home pay said that the proportion they could spend on hobbies, entertainment, and social expenses was "20% or less."
Furthermore, in response to the question, "What percentage of your increased take-home pay are you able to spend on hobbies, entertainment, and social expenses?", the top answer was "about 10% to 20%" at 37.6%, followed by "0%" at 33.6%, and "about 30% to 40%" at 12.4%. This result reveals that for over 70% of people whose take-home pay has increased in the last year, the proportion they can spend on hobbies, entertainment, and social expenses is "20% or less."
When cash on hand is not enough for a large expense, over 40% of people "break into assets such as time deposits or investments," while about one in four use "credit card installments/revolving payments" or "loans from financial institutions."
Next, when asked, "What do you do when you have a large expense that cannot be covered by the funds you have on hand?", the top answer was "break into assets such as time deposits or investments" at 41.2%, followed by "postpone the expense and endure it" at 38.2%, and "use credit card installment or revolving payments" at 16.4%. This result reveals the reality that over 40% of people with increased take-home pay in the last year "deal with large expenses that exceed their cash on hand by breaking into their assets like time deposits and investments." At the same time, a certain number of people choose "credit card installments/revolving payments" or "loans from financial institutions." This suggests that when faced with sudden large expenses, a significant number of people are dipping into time deposits and investment assets that were originally intended for the future.
Regarding future money management and spending habits, the largest group wants to "balance preparing for the future with enjoying present life," followed by the group that wants to "prioritize secure savings for the future."
Finally, at the end of the survey, when asked, "Which of the following best describes your approach to managing and using your money in the future?", the top answer was "I want to strike a good balance between preparing for the future and enriching my current life" at 22.4%, followed by "I want to prioritize secure savings for the future" at 19.4%, and "I want to actively grow my money through investments and asset management, not just savings" at 17.3%.
Conclusion
The results of this survey revealed that even when take-home pay increases, much of it is allocated to supplementing living expenses and preparing for the future, and is not being spent on "enjoying the present," such as hobbies and entertainment. It also became clear that when a large expense arises that cannot be covered by cash on hand, many people are breaking into assets they have built up, such as time deposits and investments. In this situation, the perspective of securing funds without interrupting asset formation for the future is expected to become increasingly important.
Based on these survey results, JCOM Financial Co., Ltd. offers the "J:COM Premium Loan" as one option to meet sudden funding needs while avoiding the depletion of assets, supporting household financial management that allows people to maintain their lifestyle while protecting their valuable assets.
J:COM Premium Loan (Details here): https://www.jcom-financial.co.jp/