Directors' Responses: 29.6% to Receive Summer Bonuses This Year, Down 11.1 Points from Summer 2025; 37.6% Have No Bonus System.

Employees' Responses: 41.8% Received (or Plan to Receive) Bonuses, Down 13.0 Points from Summer 2025.

Bonus Usage: "Living Expenses" Most Common at 42.5%, Surpassing "Savings/Deposits."

Outlook for Next Winter Bonus: 43.7% "No Outlook," 21.1% "Have Outlook."

For Those Receiving Summer Bonuses This Year: 60.3% "Have Outlook."

Freeway Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Tatsuya Inoue; hereinafter "Freeway Japan") conducted a survey titled "Survey on Summer Bonuses in 2026" targeting 605 individuals, including 213 directors of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 392 sole proprietors/employees. The survey results are as follows:

When reprinting the content of this release, please cite "Survey by Freeway Japan" as the source.

Survey Overview

Survey Title: "Survey on Summer Bonuses in 2026"

Survey Method: Internet Research

Survey Period: June 2, 2026 - June 8, 2026

Target Audience: 605 SME Employees, Directors, and Sole Proprietors

【Regarding Source】

When reprinting the content of this survey, please clearly state that the source is Freeway Japan Co., Ltd.

<Detailed Survey Results>

TOPIC 1 Directors' Responses: 29.6% to Receive Summer Bonuses This Year, Down 11.1 Points from Summer 2025; 37.6% Have No Bonus System.

◇ Changes in Performance Between the First Half of This Fiscal Year and the Second Half of Last Fiscal Year: "No Change" 38.0%; Followed by "Performance Declined Throughout the Period from the Second Half of Last Fiscal Year to the First Half of This Fiscal Year" 23.5%.

Q1. Were there any changes in performance between the first half of this fiscal year and the second half of last fiscal year? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Directors (n=213)

When directors were asked about changes in performance between the first half of this fiscal year and the second half of last fiscal year, 38.0% responded "No Change," 23.5% responded "Performance declined throughout the period from the second half of last fiscal year to the first half of this fiscal year," 20.2% responded "Performance increased throughout the period from the second half of last fiscal year to the first half of this fiscal year," 11.7% responded "Performance increased in the second half of last fiscal year but declined in the first half of this fiscal year," and 6.6% responded "Performance declined in the second half of last fiscal year but increased in the first half of this fiscal year."

◇ Summer Bonus Payout Status: "Planned/Paid" 29.6%; "Not Paid (Not Planned)" 27.2%; "No Bonus System" 37.6%. Responses of "Paid" Down 11.1 Points from Summer 2025.

Q2. Do you plan to pay a summer bonus, or have you already paid one? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Directors (n=213)

When directors were asked about their plans for summer bonus payments, 37.6% responded "No Bonus System," 29.6% responded "Planned/Paid," 27.2% responded "Not Paid (Not Planned)," and 5.6% responded "Undecided."

◇ For Respondents Who Answered "Planned/Paid": Amount Compared to Summer 2025: "Uniformly Increased" and "Unchanged" Tied at 36.5%. Reason for Increase: "Company Performance Improved" 69.6%. On the Other Hand, "To Compensate Employees for Rising Prices and Support Livelihoods" 34.8%.

Q3. Was there any change in the amount compared to last year's summer bonus? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Planned/Paid" in Q2 (n=63)

When those who answered "Planned/Paid" were asked about changes compared to last year's summer bonus, 36.5% each responded "Uniformly Increased/Will Increase" and "Unchanged." 20.6% responded "Varies by individual performance, so increases/decreases differ for each employee," and 6.4% responded "Uniformly Decreased/Will Decrease."

Q4. What do you believe are the reasons? (Multiple Answers)

Respondents: Those who answered "Uniformly Increased/Will Increase" in Q3 (n=23)

When those who answered "Uniformly Increased/Will Increase" were asked for the reasons, 69.6% cited "Company performance improved." "To compensate employees for rising prices and support livelihoods" and "Improved operational and profit efficiency" were cited by 34.8% each. "Difficult to significantly raise base pay, so compensated with bonuses" was cited by 26.1%. "To improve employee retention and prevent turnover (measures against labor shortage)" was cited by 17.4%. "Increased bonuses as a wage increase" was cited by 13.0%. "Implemented cost cuts through personnel reductions" was cited by 0.0%. Other (free response) was cited by 4.3%.

Q5. What do you believe are the reasons? (Multiple Answers)

Respondents: Those who answered "Uniformly Decreased/Will Decrease" in Q4 (n=4)

When asked for reasons by those who answered "Uniformly Decreased/Will Decrease," 75.0% each cited "Prioritized raising base pay due to rising labor costs (no room for bonuses)," "Bonus pool decreased due to wage increases in base pay, etc.," and "Company performance declined." "Profits are being squeezed due to rising costs of raw materials, utilities, etc." was cited by 50.0%.

◇ Impact of Recent "Labor Shortages" and "Rising Labor Costs, etc." on Bonus Payout Policies:

"No particular impact from labor shortages" 41.3%. "Impact from labor shortages and cost increases, but no change in bonus payout policy" 10.3%.

On the other hand, responses included "Profits squeezed by rising costs, forcing reductions (or no payout)" 6.1%, and "Base pay is being increased for talent acquisition/retention, so bonuses are suppressed/not significantly increased" 4.7%.

Q6. What impact have recent "labor shortages" and "rising labor costs, etc." had on this summer's bonus payout policy? (Select the most applicable option) (Single Answer)

Respondents: Directors (n=213)

When directors were asked about the impact of recent "labor shortages" and "rising labor costs, etc." on this summer's bonus payout policy, 41.3% responded "No particular impact from labor shortages." 10.3% responded "Impact from labor shortages and cost increases, but no change in bonus payout policy." 6.1% responded "Profits squeezed by rising costs (labor costs and price increases), forcing reductions (or no payout)." 4.7% responded "Base pay is being increased for talent acquisition/retention, so bonuses are suppressed/not significantly increased." 3.8% responded "To prevent turnover due to labor shortages, bonuses were paid (increased) despite financial constraints." 3.3% each responded "Labor shortages have increased workload, but this is not sufficiently reflected in bonuses" and "To secure and retain talent, bonuses are uniformly increased regardless of individual performance." 1.9% responded "Bonuses are increased for employees with heavy workloads due to labor shortages." 21.6% responded "Don't know," and 3.8% provided other (free response) answers.

TOPIC 2 Employees' Responses: 41.8% Received (or Plan to Receive) Bonuses, Down 13.0 Points from Summer 2025.

◇ "Received (Planned to Receive)" Responses Down 13.0 Points to 41.8% from Summer 2025. "Not Received (Not Planned)" Increased by 9.1 Points to 49.2%.

Q7. Have you received a summer bonus, or do you plan to receive one? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Non-Directors (n=392)

When non-directors were asked if they had received or planned to receive a summer bonus, 49.2% responded "Not Received/Not Planned to Receive." 19.9% responded "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount." 19.6% responded "Plan to receive, but amount is unknown." 9.0% responded "Undecided," and 2.3% responded "Received."

◇ Reason for "Not Received (Not Planned)": "No Bonus System" Most Common at 57.0%, Followed by "Company Performance Slump" 23.3%.

Q8. What do you believe is the reason? (Multiple Answers)

Respondents: Those who answered "Not Received/Not Planned to Receive" in Q7 (n=193)

When those who answered "Not Received/Not Planned to Receive" were asked for the reasons, 57.0% cited "No Bonus System." 23.3% cited "Company performance slump." 10.4% cited "Annual salary system." 8.8% cited "Business deterioration due to weak yen and high raw material prices." 5.2% cited "My own poor performance or results." 0.5% cited "Bonus pool may have decreased due to wage increases." Other (free response) was cited by 10.9%.

◇ Average Payout Amount: "¥395,000 (*)" No Significant Change from Summer 2025 Survey. Volume Zone: "¥100,000 - ¥400,000."

Q9. What is the payout amount? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" in Q7 (n=87)

When those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" were asked about the payout amount, the most common response was "¥200,000 - less than ¥300,000" at 25.3%, followed by "¥300,000 - less than ¥400,000" at 19.5%, and "¥100,000 - less than ¥200,000" at 17.2%. The average amount (*) among respondents was ¥395,000.

* Average calculated by taking the midpoint of each response category (e.g., ¥150,000 for respondents in the "¥100,000 - less than ¥200,000" category) and averaging these midpoints.

◇ Changes Compared to Winter 2025 and Summer 2025 Bonus Payout Amounts.

Q10. Was there any change compared to the winter bonus? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" in Q7 (n=87)

When those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" were asked about changes compared to the winter bonus, 55.2% responded "No Change." 25.3% responded "Slightly Increased." "Increased" and "Decreased" were each 9.2%. "Slightly Decreased" was 1.1%.

Q11. Was there any change compared to last year's summer bonus? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" in Q7 (n=87)

When asked about changes compared to last year's summer bonus, 54.0% responded "No Change." 29.9% responded "Slightly Increased." "Increased" was 11.5%. "Decreased" was 3.5%. "Slightly Decreased" was 1.1%.

◇ Bonus Usage: "Living Expenses" Most Common at 42.5%, Surpassing "Savings/Deposits." Reason for "Living Expenses": "Supplement for Rising Prices," etc., with Many Mentions of Price Increases.

Q12. What is the intended use of the bonus? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" in Q7 (n=87)

When those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" were asked about the intended use of the bonus, "Living Expenses" was the most common at 42.5%. "Savings/Deposits" was 27.6%. "Repayment of Debts/Loans," "Investment/Asset Management," and "Education Expenses" were 5.8% each. "Travel/Leisure" was 3.4%. "Medical Expenses" was 1.1%. Other (free response) was 3.4%.

When asked for the reasons for their choices in free responses, among those who answered "Living Expenses," multiple responses mentioned "rising prices," such as "Monthly living expenses are not covered by my salary due to rising prices," "Supplement for rising prices," and "Want to use the bonus to supplement living expenses as monthly living costs are strained by rising prices."

◇ Evaluation of Payout Amount: "Satisfied/Somewhat Satisfied" 59.8%. "Dissatisfied/Somewhat Dissatisfied" 18.4%.

Q13. Please rate your satisfaction with the bonus payout amount. (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" in Q7 (n=87)

When those who answered "Received" or "Not yet received, but plan to receive and know the amount" were asked about their satisfaction with the payout amount, 36.8% responded "Satisfied," 23.0% responded "Somewhat Satisfied," 21.8% responded "Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied," 13.8% responded "Somewhat Dissatisfied," and 4.6% responded "Dissatisfied."

Q14. Please state the reason. (Multiple Answers)

Respondents: Those who answered "Satisfied" or "Somewhat Satisfied" in Q13 (n=52)

When those who answered "Satisfied" or "Somewhat Satisfied" were asked for the reasons, 65.4% cited "Payout amount commensurate with company performance." "Clear assessment criteria and standards for payout amount" was cited by 19.2%. "My own performance and results were appropriately evaluated" was cited by 15.4%. "Received payout despite deteriorating performance due to weak yen and high raw material prices" was cited by 7.7%. "Received more than expected" and "Received more than last year" were each cited by 5.8%.

Q15. Please state the reason. (Multiple Answers)

Respondents: Those who answered "Dissatisfied" or "Somewhat Dissatisfied" in Q13 (n=16)

On the other hand, when those who answered "Dissatisfied" or "Somewhat Dissatisfied" were asked for the reasons, 43.8% cited "Not commensurate with my own performance and results evaluation." "Ambiguous assessment criteria and standards for payout amount" and "Payout amount not commensurate with company performance" were cited by 31.3% each. "Received less than expected" and "Received less than last year" were each cited by 12.5%. "Did not receive payout due to performance decline caused by weak yen and high raw material prices" was cited by 6.3%.

TOPIC 3 Outlook for SMEs: Outlook for Next Winter Bonus: 43.7% "No Outlook," 21.1% "Have Outlook." For Those Who Answered "Received (Planned to Receive)" Summer Bonus: 60.3% "Have Outlook." 50.6% of Companies That Implemented Wage Increases in the Past Six Months Responded, "Prioritized Employees Even Without Passing on Costs."

◇ Outlook for Next Winter Bonus: 43.7% "No Outlook," 21.1% "Have Outlook." Differences in Responses Between Those Who Answered "Received" and "Not Received" for This Summer's Bonus.

Q16. Do you have an outlook for this year's winter bonus payout? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Directors (n=213)

When directors were asked if they had an outlook for this year's winter bonus payout, 43.7% responded "No Outlook," 35.2% responded "Don't Know," and 21.1% responded "Have Outlook."

Q16a. Do you have an outlook for this year's winter bonus payout? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Planned/Paid" in Q2 (n=63)

Looking at the results for those who responded "Planned/Paid" for the summer 2026 bonus, 60.3% responded "Have Outlook," 25.4% responded "Don't Know," and 14.3% responded "No Outlook."

Q16b. Do you have an outlook for this year's winter bonus payout? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Not Paid (Not Planned)" in Q2 (n=58)

On the other hand, looking at the results for those who responded "Not Paid (Not Planned)" for the summer 2026 bonus, 67.3% responded "No Outlook," 24.1% responded "Don't Know," and 8.6% responded "Have Outlook."

Despite the challenging market conditions, approximately 60% of companies that "Paid" summer bonuses have a positive outlook for next winter's bonus payout.

◇ Employee Expectations for Next Winter Bonus: "Cannot Expect" and "Somewhat Cannot Expect" 67.9%.

Reasons for Not Expecting: "No Bonus System" 52.3%, "Continued Poor Company Management" 25.9%.

Q17. Can you expect a winter bonus this year? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Non-Directors (n=392)

When non-directors were asked if they could expect a winter bonus this year, 41.6% responded "Cannot Expect," 26.3% responded "Somewhat Cannot Expect," 18.1% responded "Somewhat Can Expect," and 14.0% responded "Can Expect."

Q18. Please state the reason for not expecting. (Multiple Answers)

Respondents: Those who answered "Cannot Expect" or "Somewhat Cannot Expect" in Q17 (n=266)

When those who answered "Cannot Expect" or "Somewhat Cannot Expect" were asked for the reasons, 52.3% cited "No Bonus System." 25.9% cited "Continued poor company management." 15.0% cited "No prospect of business recovery." 12.8% cited "Expect economic activity to continue shrinking." 5.6% cited "Bonus pool may have decreased due to wage increases." 3.8% cited "My own poor performance/results." Other (free response) was cited by 7.9%.

◇ Wage Increases Implemented in the Past Six Months: 37.1%. Among Those Who Answered "Received" Summer Bonus: 60.3% Implemented Increases. Among Those Who Answered "Not Received": 25.9% Implemented Increases.

Reason for Implementation: Most Common: "Prioritized Employee Satisfaction Even Without Passing on Costs Due to Price Increases" 50.6%.

Q19. Have you implemented a wage increase in the past six months? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Directors (n=213)

When directors were asked if they had implemented a wage increase in the past six months, 37.1% responded "Implemented" and 62.9% responded "Not Implemented."

Q19a. Have you implemented a wage increase in the past six months? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Planned/Paid" in Q2 (n=63)

Looking at the results for those who responded "Planned/Paid" for the summer 2026 bonus, 60.3% responded "Implemented" and 39.7% responded "Not Implemented."

Q19b. Have you implemented a wage increase in the past six months? (Single Answer)

Respondents: Those who answered "Not Paid (Not Planned)" in Q2 (n=58)

On the other hand, looking at the results for those who responded "Not Paid (Not Planned)" for the summer 2026 bonus, 74.1% responded "Not Implemented" and 25.9% responded "Implemented."

【Freeway Japan SME Survey】

▼ Previous Survey Releases:

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/searchrlp/company_id=61444

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000076.000061444.html

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000070.000061444.html

【Freeway Payroll Calculation】

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https://freeway-kyuuyo.net/

【Freeway Japan Co., Ltd.】

Freeway Japan is a company primarily engaged in the development and provision of cloud-based services called the "Freeway Series," which support back-office operations such as accounting, payroll calculation, and attendance management.

With the belief that supporting the operations of SMEs contributes to the revitalization of the Japanese economy, we have created a system that allows small businesses such as entrepreneurs and freelancers to use our services "permanently free."

【Company Profile】

Company Name: Freeway Japan Co., Ltd.

Representative: Representative Director Tatsuya Inoue

Established: March 19, 1991

Capital: ¥32.05 million

Company URL: https://freeway-japan.com/

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  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Survey