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Data · Eurostat
Hourly labour cost in the EU, 2025
What one hour of work costs an employer in each EU country, and the gross hourly wage for all jobs and for professionals.
| Country | Labour cost/h | Year | Wage/h, all jobs | Wage/h, professionals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luxembourg | €56.80 | 2025 | €30.58 | €40.26 |
| Denmark | €51.70 | 2025 | €32.56 | €38.31 |
| Belgium | €48.20 | 2024 | €26.97 | €40.70 |
| Netherlands | €47.90 | 2025 | €20.95 | €28.56 |
| Austria | €46.30 | 2025, provisional | €20.04 | €27.40 |
| Germany | €45.00 | 2025 | €22.23 | €32.37 |
| France | €44.30 | 2025 | €20.13 | €26.97 |
| Ireland | €44.20 | 2025 | €27.31 | €39.03 |
| Sweden | €43.10 | 2025 | €21.54 | €25.01 |
| Finland | €39.40 | 2025 | €22.03 | €28.41 |
| Italy | €32.00 | 2025 | €16.02 | €24.31 |
| Slovenia | €29.70 | 2025 | €12.47 | €16.83 |
| Spain | €26.40 | 2025 | €13.43 | €19.86 |
| Cyprus | €21.70 | 2025 | €12.83 | €18.90 |
| Estonia | €21.10 | 2025 | €10.68 | €14.21 |
| Czechia | €19.80 | 2025 | €9.54 | €13.42 |
| Slovakia | €19.80 | 2025 | €9.05 | €11.39 |
| Portugal | €19.40 | 2025 | €8.74 | €14.18 |
| Poland | €19.10 | 2025 | €8.61 | €11.42 |
| Malta | €19.00 | 2025 | €12.06 | €14.86 |
| Croatia | €18.40 | 2025 | €8.16 | €12.23 |
| Greece | €18.20 | 2025 | €9.34 | €12.15 |
| Lithuania | €17.80 | 2025 | €10.78 | €14.44 |
| Latvia | €16.30 | 2025 | €9.17 | €13.04 |
| Hungary | €15.20 | 2025 | €7.18 | €10.68 |
| Romania | €13.60 | 2025 | €7.43 | €11.83 |
| Bulgaria | €12.00 | 2025 | €5.55 | €8.49 |
Labour cost: Eurostat lc_lci_lev, whole economy excluding agriculture and public administration, read 2026-10-28. Wages: SES 2022, mean gross hourly earnings, firms with 10+ employees.
Need it for one country, in a file?
The €29 country report turns these rates into the cost of 20 office tasks for a person and for an AI agent, for the country you choose.
FAQ
What is the average hourly labour cost in the EU?
€34.90 per hour in 2025 for the whole economy excluding agriculture and public administration (Eurostat lc_lci_lev).
What is included in labour cost?
Wages and salaries plus employer social contributions and other employer costs, minus subsidies. It is what an hour of work costs the employer, not what the employee takes home.
Why are the wage figures lower?
They are gross hourly earnings from the 2022 Structure of Earnings Survey, firms with 10 or more employees. They exclude employer contributions and are three years older.
Sources
- Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022: mean hourly earnings by occupation (earn_ses22_14) (doi:10.2908/EARN_SES22_14)
- Eurostat, Labour cost levels by NACE Rev. 2 activity (lc_lci_lev) (doi:10.2908/LC_LCI_LEV)
- Eurostat news, hourly labour costs 2025 (31 Mar 2026)
AI model list prices read 2026-10-28; $1 = €0.8969 (ECB 2026-10-27). Task minutes, check minutes and token counts are estimates. Full method.