ZAGREB, March 21, 2018 - Labour costs in the European Union increased in the fourth quarter of 2017 almost at the same rate as in the previous quarter, while in Croatia their increase picked up, according to the EU statistical office Eurostat.
Hourly labour costs rose by 2.3% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with the same quarter of the previous year. In the third quarter of 2017, they increased by 2.2% respectively.
The cost of hourly wages and salaries rose by 2.4% and the non-wage component by 2.0% in the fourth quarter of 2017. Hourly labour costs increased by 2.7% in the services sector, by 2.5% in construction and by 2.3% in industry.
In the fourth quarter of 2017, the highest annual increases in hourly labour costs for the whole economy were registered in Romania (+14.3%), Bulgaria (+12.2%) and Hungary (+8.6%). Small decreases were recorded in Finland (-0.7%) and Italy (-0.2%).
In Croatia, hourly labour costs increased by 5.3% in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, following a 4.9% rise in the previous quarter. The cost of wages and salaries grew by 5.3% and the non-wage component by 5.4%, according to Eurostat.
