Romania’s cost of labor sees highest increase in EU

The total cost of labor in Romania registered the highest growth rate among the EU member states in the last three months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, according to EU’s statistical office Eurostat. In Romania, the hourly cost of labor rose by 11.4% whereas the growth rate in the EU was only 1.9% during this period. The only EU countries where the hourly cost of labor dropped included Italy, Cyprus, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In Romania, the growth in the hourly cost of labor was driven by the 19.5% increase in the hourly cost of labor in the non-business sector. The Government increased the salaries in the public healthcare and education sectors in the last months of 2015. editor@romania-insider.com