EU labor costs according to Eurostat data. On 01 April, the European statistics office published its annual report on average hourly labour costs (wages plus employers’ social contributions including other costs shown in chart below) across the EU Member States on its press release database (EN version). In 2015 these ranged from €4.1 and €41.3 with Bulgaria and Romania being at the bottom and Denmark and Belgium at the top. Industrial hourly labour costs were on average €25.9 in the EU and €32.3 in the Euro-Zone countries (€24.9 and €28.6 respectively for services with €22.4 and €25.8 respectively in construction). Year-on-year from 2014, hourly labour costs rose in 2015 by 2% for all of the EU and by 1.5% for the Euro-zone countries.
Great Britain implements the new minimum living wage. On 01 April, Great Britain’s new minimum National Living Wage came into force. Apart from a name change that now seeks to convince the amount set reflects what workers’ need to live decently the rate will move from £6.70 an hour before tax (approx. €8.50) to £7.20 (approx. €9.13). Workers under 25 years of age are not eligible for the National Living Wage and will continue to be eligible for the lower National Minimum Wage. To read more on the measure as well as both the debate surrounding it and businesses’ practices, please read our article No. 9540, 9273, and 9180.
Great Britain and a government plan to support the ailing steel sector.
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