Looking at the employment situation, the number of employees has been increasing since 2004, with the number of full-time employees also increasing recently. Regular payments have been increasing steadily, and winter bonus payments are expected to have registered a steady increase.
Moreover, increases in receipts of dividends and wealth effects stemming from higher stock prices have started to contribute to the steady developments in private consumption. Reflecting the improvement in the employment and income situation, consumer confidence continues to be favorable on the whole and private consumption is likely to remain steady.