Hourly labour costs rose by 0.6% in the EU and fell by 0.1% in the euro area in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020, data published Wednesday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) and cited by Agerpres show.
Hourly labour costs include wage costs and non-wage costs such as social contributions paid by employers. In Romania, wage costs recorded an annual increase of 6.8% in the second quarter of 2021, while non-wage costs recorded an annual increase of 4.8%.
In the first quarter of 2021, hourly labour costs increased by 1.6% in the EU and by 1.3% in the euro area
Between April and June 2021, the most significant annual increase was reported in Cyprus (14.3%), Poland (7.9%), Bulgaria and Romania (both 6.7%), and the most significant decline in Italy (minus 4%), Spain (minus 3.7%) and Portugal (minus 3.3%).
In the second quarter of 2021, the advance in labour costs in Romania is due to a 9.7% increase in hourly labour costs in business, while there was a 0.4% decline in non-business. By sector of the economy, hourly labour costs in Romania increased by 10.7% in industry, 9.5% in services and 7.2% in construction.