Hourly labour costs in the euro area rose by 2.0% in the year up to the first quarter of 2012, compared with 2.8% for the previous quarter, Eurostat reported today. In the European Union, the annual rise was 1.7% up to the first quarter of 2012, compared with 2.7% for the previous quarter.
In the euro area, wages and salaries per hour worked grew by 2.0% in the year up to the first quarter of 2012, as did the non-wage component, compared with 2.6% and 3.5% respectively for the fourth quarter of 2011. In the EU, hourly wages and salaries rose by 1.7% and the non-wage component by 2.1% in the y
ear up to the first quarter of 2012, compared with 2.6% and 3.4% respectively for the fourth quarter of 2011.
The breakdown by economic activity shows that in the euro area hourly labour costs rose by 2.5% in industry, by 1.9% in construction and by 1.8% in services in the year up to the first quarter of 2012. In the EU, labour costs per hour grew by 2.7% in industry and by 1.4% in both construction and services.
