The hourly labor cost in Romania, adjusted for the number of working days, increased in the first quarter of the year by 2.33% compared to the previous quarter and by 10.2% compared to the same period last year, the statistics office INS announced.

The hourly labor cost includes the technical unemployment benefits, INS explained.

The rise was partly explained by fewer working hours in some sectors, as a measure of sanitary protection during the second part of March when the state of emergency was enforced. Higher overhead costs following the use of sanitary protective materials and equipment contributed as well.

On an annual basis, the salary component of the labor cost increased by 10.1%, while the indirect (non-salary) component increased by 11.9%. The trend is likely to continue even during the economic recovery period, impacting production costs.

editor@romania-insider.com

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