In Luxembourg, the cost of an hour’s work stands at €53.90, contrasted with just €9.30 in Bulgaria, according to the latest figures published by Eurostat.
Across the European Union, the average hourly labour cost was €31.8, slightly higher at €35.6 in the eurozone. Unsurprisingly, Luxembourg retains its lead in the ranking.
At the lower end of the scale, Bulgaria (€9.30), Romania (€11.0), and Hungary (€12.8) register the lowest hourly labour costs, while Luxembourg (€53.9) and Norway (€51.9) claim the top spots.
Among Luxembourg’s neighbouring countries, Belgium tops the list with hourly labour costs at €47.1, followed by France (€42.2), and Germany (€41.3).
In terms of specific sectors, hourly labour costs in the industrial sector averaged €32.2 in the EU and €38 in the eurozone. Meanwhile, in construction, these costs were recorded at €28.5 and €31.9, respectively.
In the services sector, hourly labour costs ranged from €31.8 in the EU to €34.8 in the eurozone.
The two main components of labour costs are wages and non-wage costs (e.g. employers’ social security contributions). Across the EU and the eurozone, these non-wage costs constitute 24.7% and 25.5%, respectively, of total labour costs for the economy as a whole.
Malta (1.4%), Romania (5.0%), and Lithuania (5.4%) report the lowest shares of non-wage costs, while Sweden (32.2%) and France (31.9%) record the highest.
