The hourly labour costs rose by 3.1% in the euro area and 3.2% in the European Union (EU) in the second quarter, compared to the same period as the previous year, according to Eurostat, the European Statistical Office.
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16/09/2026
by
Lusa
Atwo main components of labour costs are wages and wages and non-wage costs and between april and june, respectively, increased by 3.0% and 3.25% in the euro area.
In the EU, in the second quarter, the hourly costs of both components — wages and wages and non-wage costs — increased by 3.2%.
Among the Member States, the lowest increases in hourly labour costs were observed in Luxembourg and Romania (1.8% each), France and Italy (2.1% each) and Malta (2.6%), while the highest increases were observed in Bulgaria (9.9%), Lithuania (9.6%) and Croatia (8.9%).
In Portugal, the indicator advanced 5.4%.
Eurostat does not publish data from the chain comparison in this indicator.