TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's real wages in October fell 0.7 percent from a year earlier, marking the 10th consecutive monthly decline, government data showed Monday, signaling that households were still struggling as inflation outpaced income growth.

But the pace of the drop slowed for the second straight month as the share of part-time workers decreased, lifting the proportion of full-time employees who are typically paid more, a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare official said.

Nominal wages, or the average monthly cash earnings per worker including base and overtime pay, increased 2.6 percent to 300,141 yen ($1,930), up for the 46th straight month, the ministry said, with the government calling on companies to hike employees' salaries.

Despite continued gains in nominal pay, the prices that the ministry uses to calculate the inflation-adjusted data rose 3.4 percent in October, driven by higher food costs, leaving real wages -- a key gauge of consumer purchasing power -- in negative territory.

Looking ahead, the ministry official said the effect of bonuses paid at the end of the year is expected to appear "to some extent" in November, but whether real wages turn positive or negative will depend on inflation.

The Bank of Japan has been closely watching wage trends, with chief Kazuo Ueda stressing the importance of confirming the "momentum of initial movements" toward next spring's annual labor-management pay talks when deciding whether to raise interest rates.