In Q4 2023, Croatia was once again among the EU countries with the highest increase in hourly labour costs, alongside Romania and Hungary, according to Eurostat data.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, hourly labour costs increased by 3.4% in the eurozone and by 4.0% in the EU compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

In the third quarter of 2023, they rose by 5.2% in the eurozone and 5.6% in the EU.

The cost of wages and salaries rose by 3.1 in the eurozone at the end of 2023 and the cost of contributions by 4.2%.

In the EU, labour costs rose by 3.8% and contribution costs by 4.6%.

In industry, construction and services in the eurozone, labour costs rose by just over 4%, while the growth rate in the EU was closer to 5%.

The cost of wages and contributions increased the most in Romania, by 16.9% compared to the same period in 2022, followed by Hungary with an increase of 16.3% and Croatia, where total labour costs in Q4 2023 were 16% higher than in the same period in 2022. In Q3 2023, they had still risen by 16.2%.

In Croatia, labour costs in Q4 2023 were 16% higher than in the same period in 2022, and the cost of contributions was 15.9% higher.

Labour costs per hour rose the least in Denmark, Germany, Malta and France, with increases of between 2.2% and 2.8%.