Hourly labour costs in Malta in the second quarter increased at the lowest rate among eurozone countries where increases were registered, while there were decreases in Lithuania and Estonia, Eurostat figures issued today show.

Hourly labour costs in Lithuania shrank by 6.2 percent and those in neighbouring Estonia by 0.6 percent.

In Malta, they rose by 0.3 percent compared to the same quarter in 2008.

The steepest increases were in Bulgaria (+11.5 percent) and Romania (+11.7 percent).

Labour costs are calculated on the basis of wages and salaries and non-wage costs.

Across the euro area, labour costs rose by 4.0 percent.

The steepest increases were in industry (up by 5.3 percent) followed by construction (5.4 percent) and services (3.2 percent).

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