Hourly labour costs rose by 1.8% in the euro area (EA19) and by 2.2% in the EU28 in the second quarter of 2017, compared with the same quarter of the previous year. In the first quarter of 2017, hourly labour costs increased by 1.4% and 1.6% respectively. 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 2.0% and the non-wage component by 0.8%, in the second quarter of 2017 compared with the same quarter of the previous year. In the first quarter of 2017, the annual changes were +1.3% and +1.6% respectively. In the EU28, hourly wages & salaries rose by 2.4% and the non-wage component by 1.6% in the second quarter of 2017. In the first quarter of 2017, annual changes were +1.5% and +1.9% respectively.