Abstract
\received
DD MMMM YYYY \acceptedDD MMMM YYYY Nurse wage levels are critical for sustaining healthcare delivery systems; however, Japan faces persistent regional disparities and wage stagnation. In 2021, the Nursing Staff Treatment Improvement Fee (NSTIF) was introduced as a policy intervention to improve compensation; however, its effectiveness remains unclear. We quantitatively examined the impact of NSTIF on annual nurse income and contributing regional factors. By using nationwide public data from fiscal year 2022 to 2024, we calculated prefecture-level NSTIF amounts from NDB Open Data and obtained registered nurses’ average annual income from the Basic Survey on Wage Structure. A prefecture-year panel was constructed for descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multivariable linear regression. The dependent variable was average nurse income; the main explanatory variable was NSTIF per nurse, adjusted for population, bed density, nurse age, elderly ratio, and regional dummies. Robust standard errors clustered by prefecture were applied. The National average income experienced a +1.62% increase from JPY 4.94 million (2022) to JPY 5.02 million (2024), while the prefectural variation averaged +0.98%. The NSTIF per nurse exhibited non-significant correlation with income (r=0.07, p=0.40) and was non-significant in the regression models. Wages were positively correlated with population size, contrary to bed density. Regional dummies improved the explanatory power; Wages in Chubu and Kinki were higher than those in Kanto, whereas those in Kyushu-Okinawa were significantly lower. NSTIF had a limited direct impact on wages, while structural regional factors exerted a strong influence. Transparent allocation and region-sensitive policy design are essential in ensuring wage improvements and reducing disparities.
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Yuiko Araki, Megumi Maeda.
\received DD MMMM YYYY \acceptedDD MMMM YYYY Effects of the Nursing Workforce Improvement Allowance on Nurse Salaries: Analysis Using Japan’s National Open Data. Authorea. 29 December 2025.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176702602.28136802/v1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176702602.28136802/v1
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