Pay gap stokes fears of childcare worker drain to big cities

CHIBA, Japan - Municipalities neighboring major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka are increasingly concerned about losing childcare workers to better-paying jobs in the metropolises, prompting them to offer wage supplements and seek national action to narrow the gap.

About 60 percent of childcare workers who responded to a Chiba Prefecture survey released in March said they wanted to work in Tokyo. Among those, almost 70 percent cited pay and benefits as reasons.