Preliminary data of National Statistical Institute for the second quarter of 2013 indicated that the total hourly labour cost rose by 3.4% compared to the second quarter of 2012. The total hourly labour cost grew by 3.8% in industry and by 1.8% in services. In construction the total hourly labour costs rose by 4.9%.
The breakdown by economic activities showed that the highest annual growths in total labour costs were recorded in ‘Education’ - 9.3%, ‘Accommodation and food service activities’ - 9.1% and ‘Public administration and defence; compulsory social security’ - 8.0%. The highest decrease in total labour costs was observed in ‘Arts, entertainment and recreation’ by 10.0% and ‘Real estate activities’ by 5.6%.
In the structure of the total labour costs, the wages and salaries costs per hour worked grew by 3.2% in comparison with a year earlier, while the other (non-wage) costs rose by 4.7%. Among the economic activities in the second quarter of 2013 compared to the second quarter of 2012 the growth rate of wages and salaries component ranged from (-11.6%) in ‘Arts, entertainment and recreation’ to 9.5% in ‘Education’.