Hourly labour costs rose by 1.5% in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.9% in the EU28 in the third quarter of 2016, compared with the same quarter of the previous year. In the second quarter of 2016, hourly labour costs increased by 1.0% in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.4% in the EU28. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

The two main components of labour costs are wages & salaries and non-wage costs. In the euro area, wages & salaries per hour worked grew by 1.6% and the non-wage component by 1.2% in the third quarter of 2016 compared with the same quarter of 2015.

In the second quarter of 2016, the annual changes were +0.9% and +1.5% respectively. In the EU28, hourly wages & salaries rose by 2.0% and the non-wage component by 1.5% in the third quarter of 2016. In the second quarter of 2016, annual changes were +1.4% and +1.7% respectively.