EMPLOYMENT : LABOUR COSTS CONTINUE TO RISE IN EU.

• Position: Brief article

Hourly labour costs in the eurozone rose at an annual rate of 2% in the third quarter of 2012, compared with 1.9% in the second quarter of 2012. In the EU27, the annual increase was 1.9% in the third quarter of 2012, the same as the previous quarter, according to data published by Eurostat on 17 December 2012.

The two main components of labour costs are wages and salaries and non-wage costs. In the eurozone, hourly wages and salaries grew at an annual rate of 2% in the third quarter of 2012 and non-wage costs at 1.7%, compared with 2.1% and 1.4%, respectively, in the previous quarter. In the EU27, hourly wages and salaries rose at an annual rate of 2% and non-wage costs at 1.9% in the third quarter of 2012, compared with 2% and 1.6%, respectively, in the second quarter of 2012.

The sharpest annual increases in hourly labour costs for the entire economy were registered in...