How much does a plastics worker make in Japan?
Answer: The average plastics worker in Japan makes $30,549 (¥4.58M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
Monthly pay $2,135 × 12 + bonus $4,933. Average age 43; about 255,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).
Plastics worker pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $30,549 | $33,219 | $21,813 | 43 |
| Big company | $37,682 | $39,345 | $25,631 | 41.8 |
| Mid-size | $30,328 | $32,841 | $22,781 | 41.2 |
| Small company | $26,489 | $29,193 | $19,555 | 46.3 |
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can differ with experience and skill; a plastic-molding certificate can show skill, while an employer's size, type, and location also matter. Full-time or short-time hours, night shifts, and specialty work such as tire-making may change pay too.
What if you were…
In Japan, age and company size matter mostPick a company size, sex or age to see that group's average here.
How it changes with age
Tap an age to update the number above (Any company size, men and women combined)
How it changes with company size
What does a plastics worker do?
What's a typical day like?
A worker loads material, fits a mold, and sets heat and pressure before a test run. During production, they watch the machine, check each part’s shape and size, then send good pieces to finishing or packing.
How to get this job
In Japan, many enter after high school; no special degree or license is required, and employers teach safety and quality. They start with simple tasks and learn the machines on the job; a national plastic-molding skills test is optional.
Did you know?
Japan’s level-one plastic-molding test asks candidates to make 80 boxes from two kinds of resin and calculate how much the molded parts shrink.
What about the US?
Nearly the same jobJapan's figure is the average and the US figure is the median. Prices and exchange rates matter too, so it's a rough comparison.
Similar jobs
Manufacturing and construction jobsEarn more in the same field
Manufacturing and construction jobs that pay a bit moreSources and data
Source: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (regular workers, by occupation) (e-Stat). Yearly pay = monthly contractual cash earnings × 12 + annual bonus. Averages for regular workers at firms with 10+ employees. Public employees (teachers, police, firefighters) and company executives are not in this survey. e-stat.go.jp
Pages used for the text
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/19
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/297
- ejp.or.jp/jigyo/gino-kentei/
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/chinginkouzou_b.html
- www.e-stat.go.jp/dbview?sid=0003426315
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY