Brussels, 04/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat, manpower costs in the eurozone rose by 2.7% in the second quarter, the lowest rise in a year and a half. This sharp fall on the 3.1% rise in the first quarter is due to changes in remuneration in the Italian financial sector (to more regular payment of salaries throughout the year). The rise in manpower costs in the eurozone would have reached at least 3% if the Italian data had not changed, explained a Eurostat source. The greatest rise was noted in the Netherlands (+5.2%) and Spain (+5.1%).
In general, Eurostat commented that the trend was moving towards stabilisation. Manpower costs in industry rose by 2.8% over a year, compared with a 3% rise in the first quarter. In terms of the fifteen EU Member States, manpower costs rose by 3.1% in the second quarter compared with the same period in 2000.