[2026] Wage Increase Status Survey: 'Sharefull' Gig Work Research

"Working and Smiling." Sharefull Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Satoshi Yokoi), which provides the gig work app "Sharefull," the SaaS shift management service "Sharefull Shift," and the talent introduction service "Sharefull Agent" utilizing employment records, all under the Persol Group's vision, conducted a survey on the actual status of wage increases targeting "Sharefull" users.

◾️Background
In recent years, with continuous price increases in Japan, wage hikes have become a major social concern. Particularly due to soaring energy and food prices, the increasing burden on household budgets has become an issue across a wide range of generations, and sluggish wage growth has been pointed out.

Against this backdrop, in the 2026 spring labor-management negotiations (shuntō), according to the "Response Bulletin No. 3 (All-Japan Joint Struggle Council)" published by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO), wage increase responses exceeding the previous year have been observed, confirming a certain degree of momentum for wage increases. However, differences in the level and spread of these increases depending on company size and employment type have also been noted, making it difficult to say that they are sufficiently reaching all workers.

Given this background, this survey aimed to clarify the real living conditions of workers, including the actual status of wage increases, changes in living expenses, and attitudes towards supplementary income, by targeting "Sharefull" users.

Source: Japanese Trade Union Confederation Response Bulletin No. 3 (All-Japan Joint Struggle Council)

https://www.jtuc-rengo.or.jp/activity/roudou/shuntou/2026/yokyu_kaito/sokuho/kaito_no03.pdf?4996

◾️Survey Overview

【Web survey targeting Sharefull users】

Target: Users of the "Sharefull" app
Method: In-app questionnaire survey using "Sharefull members"
Content: Questions such as "Did you receive a wage increase in the past year?" and "Do you feel your living expenses have increased due to price hikes?"
Valid responses: 28,892

Date conducted: March 18, 2026 (Wednesday)

◾️Summary

• 45.4% responded "no wage increase," and even among those who received a wage increase, about 70% responded "life hasn't changed much," indicating that wage increases are not leading to improved living conditions.

• 48.8% felt their "living expenses significantly increased" due to price hikes, the highest percentage, with the impact being particularly pronounced among those in their 50s.

• Against this background, gig work for "supplementing living expenses" was the most common reason (38.5%), and about 80% (78.8%) felt the necessity of supplementary income, indicating a growing need for additional earnings.

◾️Survey Results

In response to the question, "Did you receive a wage increase in the past year?", 45.4% of the total responded "No." Looking at occupations, "part-time workers" were the only group where the percentage of those who received a wage increase was highest (43.0%).

Regarding the question, "Do you feel your living expenses have increased due to price hikes?", the most common response was "Significantly increased" (48.8%).

By age group, it was found that those in their 50s felt the increase in living expenses the most.

For those who answered "Yes" to the question "Did you receive a wage increase in the past year?", when asked "Has your life improved due to the wage increase?", the most common response was "Not much change" (67.1%), with only 7.2% responding "Improved."

In response to the question, "Please tell us why you do gig work?", the most common answer was "Supplementing living expenses" (38.5%).

By age group, it was found that those in their 50s were most likely to do gig work for "supplementing living expenses" (50.0%).

In response to the question, "Do you feel supplementary income is necessary to cover living expenses?", the most common answer was "Yes" (78.8%).
By age group, it was found that those in their 50s felt the greatest need for supplementary income (88.0%).

◾️Analysis
This survey highlights two key issues: "lack of real feeling of wage increases" and "household budget pressure due to rising living costs."

The fact that less than half, 45.4%, reported "no wage increase" in the past year suggests that many people do not feel an improvement in their income. It is noteworthy that even among part-time workers, the group with the highest rate of wage increases, it did not exceed half.

On the other hand, the impact of price increases is extremely strong, with approximately half (48.8%) feeling that "living expenses have significantly increased." This trend is particularly pronounced among those in their 50s, possibly due to higher fixed expenditures and burdens such as education and housing costs.

Furthermore, it is important that even among those who received wage increases, the effect did not directly lead to an improvement in their lives. To the question "Has your life improved due to the wage increase?", "Not much change" accounted for the vast majority at 67.1%, while "Improved" was only 7.2%. This suggests that the wage increase amount is not keeping pace with price increases.

Against this backdrop, the need for supplementary income is presumed to be very high. 78.8% of respondents feel "supplementary income is necessary," with this figure being particularly prominent at 88.0% among those in their 50s. Also, the primary purpose of gig work being "supplementing living expenses" (38.5%) indicates that the current labor environment is structured such that "it is difficult to maintain a livelihood solely with primary income," and this burden is concentrated particularly among middle-aged and older individuals. It is considered that the need for flexible work styles like gig work will further increase as a means to supplement primary income if price increases continue.

【Operating Services】

◾️Gig Work App "Sharefull" ＜ https://sharefull.com/ ＞

"Sharefull" is a short-term talent utilization platform that aims to "turn spare time into value," connecting "individuals who want to work in their spare time" with "companies that need workers only on specific days and times." Individuals can search for job postings that match their desired conditions through the app and apply/start working immediately without interviews or resumes. Companies can post job openings for a single day instantly via the web, enabling rapid talent acquisition. Furthermore, labor-related tasks such as specifying employment conditions, attendance management, payroll calculation, and payroll transfer agency can be centrally managed on the "Sharefull" app. Currently, it is used by 12 million people (*), with a large number of registered users possessing diverse work experience and skills, including sales and light labor, as well as Excel and PowerPoint proficiency.

*Total downloads from App Store and Google Play Store (as of March 2026)

Since February 2026, web commercials featuring actor Masato Hagiwara and voice actress Yu Serizawa have been broadcast nationwide.

Video URL：https://youtu.be/PXbpTGAj0Po

■SaaS-type Shift Management Service "Sharefull