2.1% Rise In Euro Labour Costs

Euro area hourly labour costs rose by 2.1% in the year to Q1 2010. In the EU27 the rise was 2.2%. Wages and salaries per hour grew by 2% and the non-wage component by 2.1%. In the EU27 wages and salaries rose by 2.3% and the non-wage component by 1.9%. Statistics from Eurostat Labour Cost Index (LCI) euroindicators.

In the euro area, labour costs per hour in industry increase was 1.8%, in construction 2.1% and in services 2.2% in the year to Q1 2010. In the EU27 labour costs per hour grew by 1.8% in industry, 1.4% in construction and 2.5% in services.

The highest annual increases were in Bulgaria (10.5%) and Romania (7.4%). The highest decreases were in Lithuania (-11%), Latvia (-7.2%), Estonia (5.5%) and the Czech Republic (-3.1%).