06/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat, the hourly cost of labour in the euro-zone increased 3.1% in nominal terms over the first quarter of this year (compared to the first quarter of 2000). In the European Union (EU15), the rise was 3.6%. Italy recorded the lowest annual increase (2.3%). The highest rates were recorded in the United Kingdom (5.9%) and Finland (5.2%). In industry, the hourly labour cost increased by 3.2% in the euro-zone and by 3.4% in the EU15. Sweden recorded the lowest annual increase (1.7%), while Finland (5.5%), the United Kingdom (4.8%) and the Netherlands (4.5%) recorded the lowest rate of increase. During the first quarter, the strongest rise in salaries - covering most of total labour costs - was recorded in Finland (5.2%). The lowest was in Germany (2.6%).