Who Earns What

How much does a metal press worker make in Japan?

Metal Press Workers
$30,537 (¥4.58M)

a year · about $16 an hour

The average metal press worker in Japan makes $30,537 (¥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?

They fit a die into a press, load sheet metal, make a test piece, and measure it to check the size. Once it is right, they run or watch the press as it punches, bends, or draws parts, then inspect the pieces.

Did you know? Some fine-blanking presses use three actions for precise cutting and can make complex parts for products ranging from cars to IT devices.

Is that a lot?

Compared with jobs you know
This job$30,537
Typical worker$33,720
Elementary teacher$49,011
Doctor$100,817
Cashier$25,651

What if you were…

In Japan, age and company size matter most

Pick 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

Any size$30,537
Big company$45,647
Mid-size$30,039
Small company$26,667
Men$31,686
Women$22,243

How do you become one?

Many people in Japan enter after high school, around age 18; no specific qualification is needed to start. They learn on the job, then may take the written and practical metal-press skills test; special safety training is needed to install or adjust dies.

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay can differ with experience and skill: setting dies, checking precision, or monitoring automated presses takes different know-how, and a metal-press certificate can show those skills. Pay also depends on employer size and industry, location, full- or part-time hours, and overtime or night shifts.

Jobs like this

Next up

Who earns more?

In the US, a typical metal press operator makes $46,330 → see more

Data table and sources
Metal press worker pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$30,537$31,686$22,24342.7
Big company$45,647$46,243$26,79042.8
Mid-size$30,039$30,964$24,06341.8
Small company$26,667$27,602$20,91143.1

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

Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY