How much does a plastics worker make in Japan?
a year · about $16 an hour
The average plastics worker in Japan makes $30,549 (¥4.58M) a year, monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, about the same as a typical worker in Japan (average, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
What do they do?
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.
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.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowWhat 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
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How it changes with company size
How do you become one?
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.
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.
Jobs like this
In the US, a typical molding operator makes $45,760 → see more
Data table and sources
| 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 |
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