Private think tanks in Japan are forecasting a rise in winter bonuses for employees for the third straight year.
Analysts credit the weaker yen and an increase in inbound demand.
Four think tanks estimated the average winter bonus at businesses with five or more employees based on data from around the country.
They expect a hike of 2.1 to 2.5 percent from last year.
Analysts at the Japan Research Institute say manufacturers saw higher revenues on the back of the weaker yen.
Profits also improved among non-manufacturers due to recoveries in inbound demand and spending on services.
Many companies raised the base pay for their employees in wage negotiations this spring, and analysts say this factor and a labor shortage contributed to the increase.