September 13 (SeeNews) - Romania and Bulgaria led in terms of rise in hourly labour costs in the second quarter of 2019 among European Union member states, compared to the prior-year period, the bloc's statistical office said on Friday.
Labour costs in Romania were 12.4% higher year-on-year in the first six months of 2019, while in Bulgaria they grew by 11.0%, Eurostat said in a statement.
Hourly labour costs in Romania increased in the review period mainly due to higher wage and salaries costs. In Bulgaria, hourly labour costs rose due to higher non-wage costs.
From all EU member states in Southeast Europe (SEE) only Greece and Croatia recorded increases in hourly labour costs below the EU average of 3.1% in the second quarter.
Details on hourly labour costs follow (pct change):
Q2 2019 |
Total |
Wages |
Other |
Bulgaria |
11.0 |
10.9 |
11.6 |
Croatia |
2.3 |
2.8 |
-1.0 |
Greece |
2.1 |
2.5 |
0.9 |
Romania |
12.4 |
12.5 |
10.9 |
Slovenia |
4.9 |
5.2 |
3.1 |
EU average |
3.1 |
3.1 |
3.0 |
source: Eurostat