ZAGREB, 2 April, 2021 - Croatia is the only EU member state outside the euro area to have recorded a decrease in hourly labour costs in 2020, a Eurostat report shows.

Last year, hourly labour costs rose by an average of 3.1% in the EU and by 2.9% in the euro area.

Among the non-euro area countries, the highest increases in hourly labour costs expressed in the national currency were observed in Hungary (+7.9%), Bulgaria (+7.8%), the Czech Republic (+7.4%) and Romania (+7.2%). The lowest increases were registered in Sweden (+1.1%) and Denmark (+2.0%). 

Croatia was the only non-euro area country to see a drop in hourly labour costs (-1.0%).

Among the euro area member states, the highest increases in hourly labour costs were reported in Portugal (+8.6%), Lithuania (+7.5%) and Slovakia (7.0%). The lowest increases were observed in Luxembourg (+0.5%), Finland (+0.7%) and the Netherlands (+0.8%). Decreases were registered only in Malta (-4.7%), Cyprus (-2.7%) and Ireland (-2.7%).

Last year, the average hourly labour cost was €28.5 in the EU and €32.3 in the euro area, compared to €27.7 and €31.4 respectively in 2019.

The differences among the countries were huge, with the hourly labour costs in Bulgaria being seven times lower than those in Luxembourg.

The lowest hourly labour costs in the EU were recorded in Bulgaria (€6.5), Romania (€8) and  Hungary (€9.9). They were followed by Lithuania (€10.1), Latvia (€10.5), Croatia (€10.8) and Poland (€11).

Among the euro area countries, the lowest hourly labour costs were registered in Slovakia (€13.4), Estonia (€13.6) and Portugal (€15.3). In Slovenia and Spain these costs were around €20, while in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria they ranged between €30 and €40. The highest hourly labour costs were reported in Denmark (€45.8), Luxembourg (€42.1) and Belgium (€41.4).

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 18 March, 2021 - In the fourth quarter of 2020, hourly labour costs rose in the EU and euro area at rates that were almost twice as high as in the previous quarter, while Croatia was again among the countries that recorded declines, a Eurostat report shows.

In the 27-member EU, hourly labour costs increased by 3.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. In the third quarter, they increased by 1.8%.

At the same time, hourly labour costs in the euro area were 3.0% higher than in the last quarter of 2019, following a 1.6% increase in the third quarter.

The higher labour costs reflected a rise in the costs of hourly wages and salaries, while the non-wage component moderated the growth in hourly labour costs, in particular due to the tax reliefs and subsidies granted by EU governments to support enterprises affected by the coronavirus crisis.

In the EU, the costs of hourly wages and salaries increased by +3.7% in Q4 2020, following a 2.4% rise in Q3. In the euro area, the costs of wages and salaries per hour worked grew by +3.5%, after a 2.2% increase in the third quarter.

In the EU, in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the economic activities that recorded the highest increases in wage and salary costs were "Arts, entertainment and recreation" (+11.0%) and "Accommodation and food service activities" (+10.2%)

The non-wage component increased by 1.8% in the EU and by 1.5% in the euro area, following stagnation in the previous quarter.

The largest increases in hourly labour costs were recorded in Austria (+11.6%) and Bulgaria (+10.0%), while the lowest increases were observed in Hungary (+0.7%) and France (+0.3%).

Croatia, along with Ireland, Malta and Finland, had lower hourly labour costs in the fourth quarter of 2020 than in the same period in 2019. Ireland observed the largest decrease in hourly labour costs, of 4.8%.

in Croatia, hourly labour costs in Q4 2020 were 1.1% lower than in Q4 2019, while in Q3 they fell for the first time in four years, by 0.6%. In the fourth quarter, wage and salary costs fell by 0.2% and the non-wage component shrank by 6.3%, the largest decline since Q2 2016. In the third quarter, wage and salary costs rose by 0.3%, while the non-wage component fell by 5.8%.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 6 March, 2021 - Croatia is at the bottom of the EU ranking of women at management level and women in the EU are still far from being men's equals, according to an Eurostat report.

The COVID-19 pandemic "has led to unprecedented changes in the workplace," Eurostat said, but data on men and women at management level continue to reveal familiar patterns.

"While both women and men bring different qualities to crisis management, women remain outnumbered at the management level," Eurostat said.

"In Q3 2020, more than 9.5 million people held a managerial position in the EU: 6.2 million men and 3.3 million women. Although women represent almost half of all employed persons in the EU (46%), they are under-represented amongst managers (34%)."

In the past 20 years, the share of women in managerial postions "has gradually increased from just below 30% in Q2 2002."

Latvia and Poland on top

Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia have the highest shares of women managers, with Latvia recording the highest share in Q3 2020 (45%), followed by Poland (44%).

Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovenia and Sweden are next, each with a 42% share.

Above the EU average are Ireland, Romania, Finland, Estonia, Spain, France, Portugal, Slovakia and Lithuania, their shares of women managers ranging from 38 to 35%.

In Denmark and Germany, less than one in three managers were women according to data for Q4 2019. 

"At the opposite end of the scale, women account for only around a quarter of managers in Croatia (24%), the Netherlands (26%) and Cyprus (27%)," Eurostat said.

ZAGREB, 4 March, 2021 - The unemployment rate in the European Union and the euro area remained stable in January 2021 compared with the previous month, while in Croatia it slid below the EU average, a Eurostat report showed on Thursday.

The EU unemployment rate was 7.3% in January 2021, stable compared with December 2020 and up from 6.6% in January 2020. The euro area rate was 8.1%, also stable compared with December 2020 and up from 7.4% in January 2020.

A total of 15.663 million people in the EU were unemployed in January 2021, including 13.282 million in the euro area. Compared with December 2020, their number increased by 29,000 in the EU and by 8,000 in the euro area. Compared with January 2020, unemployment rose by 1.465 million in the EU and by 1.010 million in the euro area.

The highest unemployment rate was recorded in Spain, of 16%, while all other member states had unemployment rates of below 10%. The lowest rates were registered in Poland (3.1%), the Czech Republic (3.2%) and the Netherlands (3.6%).

In Croatia, the unemployment rate in January 2021 was 7.1%, down from 7.6% in December 2020. A total of 126,000 Croatians were out of work in January, or 9,000 fewer than in the previous month. In January 2020, the unemployment rate in Croatia was 6%, with 107,000 people out of work.

No data was available for Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy and Romania.

Youth unemployment unchanged

The EU youth unemployment rate remained at 16.9% in January 2021, unchanged from December 2020. The euro area rate was 17.1%, down from 18.5% in the previous month.

In January 2021, a total of 2.929 million young people were unemployed in the EU, including 2.356 million in the euro area. Compared with December 2020, their number increased by 3,000 in the EU and decreased by 15,000 in the euro area. Compared with January 2020, their number rose by 184,000 in the EU and by 89,000 in the euro area.

The highest youth unemployment rate was recorded in Spain, of 39.9%, ahead of Portugal (24.6%) and Sweden (24.1%). The lowest rates were registered in Germany (6.2%), the Netherlands (9.1%) and Austria (9.7%). 

In Croatia, which is not required to provide monthly data on youth unemployment, the youth unemployment rate in the last quarter of 2020 was 22.2%, with 31,000 young people out of work.

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - In Q3 2020 Croatia continued to record an increase in house prices that was above the EU average but it was also among the four countries where those prices fell compared to the previous quarter, shows a Eurostat report.

Real estate prices in the EU in Q3 2020 rose by 5.2% from the same period of 2019 and the same increase was also registered in Q2.

In the euro area house prices grew by 4.9%, just as in Q2.

Among the EU countries for which data were available, house prices grew the most in Q3 again in Luxembourg, by 13.6%, and in Poland, by 10.9%. Austria followed with an increase of 8.8%.

In Croatia, prices of real estate in Q3 2020 grew by 6.9% from the same period of 2019. They grew by 8.3% in Q2 and by 9.1% in Q1.

A year-on-year decline in house prices was reported in Q3 only by Cyprus and Ireland, of 1.4% and 0.8% respectively.

House prices in the EU in Q3 grew by 1.4% from Q2, when they rose at the same rate.

Among EU countries, real estate prices in Q3 grew the most on the quarter in Hungary, by 5.2%, according to preliminary statistics.

Hungary is followed by Denmark and Latvia, with quarterly increases of 4.2% and 3.7% respectively.

In Croatia house prices in Q3 were down from Q2 for the first time in slightly more than two years, by 0.6%. They grew by 1.8% in Q2 and by 2.7% in Q1.

The other countries that saw a quarterly drop in house prices were Cyprus (-4.8%), Romania (-2.6%) and Italy (-2.5%).

The Republic of Croatia is at the very top of the list of European Union countries in terms of the number of temporary employees, according to a new Eurostat survey for the year 2019.

As Novac writes on the 20th of June, 2020, as many as 18 percent of Croats, in the total number of employees working with temporary employment contracts, seasonally or through an employment agency. The share of temporary workers is higher only in Spain (24 percent), Poland (21 percent) and in Portugal (19 percent).

At the same time, Croatia is the only country in the whole of the European Union in which significantly more Croats are employed in temporary work positions compared to foreign nationals working in Croatia. In other words, out of one hundred employees born in Croatia, 18 of them are employed in temporary positions, while when it comes to the same number of employed foreigners (born outside of Croatia and the EU) only 14 of them work temporarily.

This is a completely reverse trend when compared to all other European Union countries in which, on average, almost a quarter (22 percent) of foreign nationals work in temporary positions and 13 percent of the domicile population are employed.

The trend of high temporary (or occasional) employment of Croatian nationals can be partly explained by the fact that European statisticians take the data for seasonal jobs into their calculations. Namely, a large number of Croats are employed exclusively during the summer tourist season, mostly in the catering, tourism and hospitality sector.

As far as European Union countries in Croatia's immediate area are concerned, Eurostat's report shows that the share of temporarily employed Italians stands at 16 percent, Slovenes 12 percent, and Hungarians a little more than five percent. The share of foreigners employed on temporary contracts in Italy is over 20 percent, in Slovenia almost 15 percent, and in Hungary a little more than 10 percent.

Germany, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Malta, for example, all have a similar share of foreign temporary workers as Croatia does (all at around 15 percent). However, a smaller percentage of the domicile population in those countries work in temporary jobs. 11 percent in Slovenia do so, nine percent in Germany, seven percent in the Czech Republic and five percent in Malta.

On the other hand, the largest share of those born outside the European Union and who are employed on temporary contracts is in Poland (53 percent), followed by Spain (38 percent), Cyprus (33 percent), Portugal (29 percent), Sweden (26 percent) and the Netherlands (25 percent).

The lowest share, on the other hand, was recorded in Estonia (2 percent), followed by Latvia (4 percent), Austria (8 percent) and Ireland (10 percent). However, in all these countries, the employment of the domicile population on temporary contracts is either lower or at the same level.

According to the explanation, the Eurostat survey serves, among other things, to compare the position of migrants in relation to the domicile population, but also to monitor the success of European Union policies in regard to the integration of migrants.

For more, follow our lifestyle page.

As Jadranka Dozan/Poslovni Dnevnik according to a Eurostat survey, the Croatian unemployment rate has increased, with the number of registered unemployed people rising from 122,000 to 147,000.

After most European Union (EU) countries resorted to restrictions on work and movement due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic back in March, unemployment and claims for unemployment benefits rose across the bloc in April.

At the same time, various measures and aid to preserve jobs were introduced by national governments to try to alleviate the economic shock caused by the pandemic, and according to Eurostat, the number of unemployed people in the EU eventually increased by 397,000 people in April, to a massive 14.08 million in total.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate thus rose from 6.4 percent in March to 6.6 percent, which is still slightly lower than it was back in April last year (when it stood at 6.8 percent). According to the Eurostat survey, the Croatian unemployment rate has increased from 122,000 to 147,000, reaching a concerning 8.1 percent from 6.8 percent back in March this year.

Six EU member states had higher rates in April - with Spain and Greece leading the way, followed by France, Cyprus and then by two Baltic states.

In contrast, the Czech Republic boasts the lowest unemployment rate, standing at a mere 2.1 percent (with a monthly increase in the number of unemployed of only 7,000), Poland is currently at below three percent, in Germany and the Netherlands it stands at about 3.5 percent, and in five other countries, the unemployment rate remains below five percent.

The circumstances caused by the ongoing pandemic have also led to certain discrepancies with regard to the globally used standard definition of unemployment according to the International Labour Organisation (there are unemployed people who have been actively looking for work for four weeks and can start working in the next two). In addition to government support at the EU level, this has also somewhat mitigated the increase in unemployment.

However, according to Eurostat, unemployment among young people under the age of 25 in the Union rose slightly in April.

There were 2.62 million unemployed people in the EU in March and 2.77 million of them in April, marking an increase from 14.6 to 15.4 percent. For Croatia, the latest data refers to March with 24,000 unemployed people and a youth unemployment rate of 16.2 percent.

For more on the Croatian unemployment rate, follow our lifestyle page.

Poverty is an enormous issue across the territory of the European Union and Europe as a whole, but just how does Croatia fare? While taxpayers and the government argue over tax breaks and the raising of the living wage, poverty in Croatia is climbing.

As Adriano Milovan/Novac writes on the 3rd of February, 2020, although this data doesn't regard mere small numbers of people in Croatia who are working and who are still at risk of poverty, Croatia still managed to rank fairly well on the European Union's list with this indicator.

Namely, with a 5.2 percent poverty rate back in 2018, the Republic of Croatia was among the best placed EU member states, since only those who are employed in Ireland, the Czech Republic and Finland have a lower risk of falling into poverty in the EU, with it threatening just about every 33rd employee, which is a real threat to only 3.1 percent of people who have a job. In addition, according to Eurostat, Belgium has the same at-risk-of-poverty rate as Croatia.

Eurostat's data also show that Slovenia's employees have a slightly higher risk of falling into poverty, where poverty is a real threat to six percent of employees. The EU average is 9.5 percent, which means that almost every 10th employee in the EU is at risk of falling into poverty. Romanians are most at risk of falling into poverty: and as many as 15.3 percent of Romanian employees face that particular threat.

Among EU member state candidates for which Eurostat has published data, the highest risk of falling into poverty lies with employees in neighbouring Serbia, where every 10th employee is faced with a real threat of poverty. This is almost twice as high as in Croatia and is at the EU average. In Northern Macedonia, poverty is a threat to 8.8 percent of employees, Eurostat figures show.

Eurostat's analysis shows that employed men are more at risk of falling into poverty than employed women are, both in terms of poverty in Croatia and across the EU as a whole. Poverty is more of a threat to part-time employees or other similar, ''less sturdy'' forms of work than to those with permanent contracts, Eurostat concludes. They also add that the risk of falling into poverty in the EU is increasing, making poverty a real threat to 8.6 per cent of European Union employees in 2008, rising to a concerning 9.5 per cent in 2018.

Follow our lifestyle page for more.

Every other aircraft in Croatia back in 2017 was twenty years old or even older. The latest EU statistics which show the age of Croatia's planes are of concern.

As Adriano Milovan/Novac writes on the 8th of December, 2019, according to these EU statistics, out of the total of 30 aircraft that made up the Croatian aviation fleet for commercial passenger traffic in 2017, 15, or half, were 20 or more years old. The Croatian aviation fleet also had no aircraft under five years old, EU statistics show.

Croatia is among the EU member states with the oldest aviation fleet. Other member states with a larger share of planes older than 20 in operation in 2017 were Sweden, with 55 percent, and Lithuania with 52 percent. Among the EU member states, only Croatia and Cyprus had no aircraft under five years of age.

The obsolescence of the Croatian aviation fleet is also indicated by the EU statistics according to which eight aircraft, or more than a quarter of the total number, were 15 to 19 years old. In 2017, Croatia only had one plane between 10 and 14 years old, while six of them, according to Eurostat, were as young or five to nine years old.

In the EU as a whole in 2017, there were a total of 6,711 aircraft engaged in commercial passenger transport. About one fifth of them, or 21 percent, were under five years of age, and more than a quarter or 27 percent were between five and nine years old, while nearly one fifth or 19 percent were between 10 and 14 years old. Just over a third of EU aircraft, or 34 percent, in 2017 were over 15 years of age, of which about half were aged 20 or over.

The most modern aviation fleet in the EU, according to Eurostat data, is owned by Finland, which did not have aircraft aged 20 or more in operation in 2017. The aircraft fleets of Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Austria and the Netherlands also have a very small share of old aircraft.

The largest number of commercial passenger planes in the EU in 2017 was in the United Kingdom, with 1,312, followed by Germany, with 1,100 planes, and France, with 571 planes, while Cyprus has the smallest number of commercial passenger aircraft.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more.

Croatia has many societal issues, but generally speaking, most living costs are satisfactory for most, this is especially true if you have moved to Croatia from a richer, Western European country with an undoubtedly higher GDP and a better economic situation - Or is it?

While wages in the Western part of our continent, in countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany, often sound very high and extremely appealing when compared to the typical take home Croatian salary, one tends to forget that the living costs in those countries are also difficult to compare.

Gas and electricity in the UK, for example, can be extortionate, especially when you need your heating on and lights blazing for a good few months of the year due to the cold and darkness, a problem not encountered as much in Croatia.

That being said, you'd expect salaries and living costs to correlate to a more acceptable degree regardless of where you are in the world. Bread, being the metaphorical object of all things that refer to wealth, is one of them.

As SibenikIN writes on the 14th of September, 2019, in Croatia, consumer prices for bread and cereals were about three percent higher than the EU average in 2018, and higher than in some wealthier EU countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This has been confirmed by the data released this week by the Eurostat.

According to the data, bread and cereals were by far the most expensive in Denmark (with an index of 151 and an EU average of 100), followed by Austria with 35 percent higher prices than the EU average and Finland and Luxembourg with 27 percent higher prices than average, RTL reports.

Cyprus, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, Belgium and Greece are also among the ten most expensive EU countries in terms of the above.

With an index of 102.9, Croatia is in the middle of the rankings and is around the EU average, and when it comes to our neighbour to the north, Slovenia, bread is a little more expensive and a little cheaper over in Germany.

The cheapest bread and cereals being sold in the EU in 2018 were in Romania, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and in Bulgaria.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more.