Home > Statistics > Labour cost index > 2009 > 2nd quarter > Cost of labour for an hour worked rose by 8.8 per cent in April-June

Published: 7 September 2009

Cost of labour for an hour worked rose by 8.8 per cent in April-June

Private sector labour costs rose by 8.8 per cent in April-June 2009 when compared with the respective period of the year before. Labour costs excluding one-off items, such as performance bonuses, rose by 7.8 per cent in the period. In the second quarter of 2009 the index of wage and salary earnings rose 4,6 per cent in the private sector.

From 2007 to 2008, labour costs rose by 3.4 per cent and the rise excluding of one-off items was 4,0 per cent.

As the time series according to the new method is available only since the beginning of 2007, it has not been possible to seasonally adjust the index data. The timing of so-called moving mid-week holidays, such as Easter and Epiphany, affects the comparability of data concerning the first, second and fourth quarters. An increase in the number of mid-week holidays adds the rise in labour costs in the second quarter of 2009. Statistics Finland publishes seasonally adjusted series when there are enough observations to calculate reliable results.

Calculated by industry, the cost of an hour worked in manufacturing rose by 12.6 per cent in April-June 2009 when compared with the respective time period of the year before. The rise was strongest in the metal industry, at 16.9 per cent, and slowest in the food industry, at 6.0 per cent. By contrast, labour costs in construction rose by 7.7 per cent in January-March 2009 when compared with the respective time period of the year before. In service industries the rise amounted to 5.5 per cent.

Annual changes of Labour cost in industry, construction, services and all industries according Standard Industrial Classification 2008

Code	Industry	Labour Costs, Year-on-year change
		Labour costs, all	Labour costs, excluding one-off items
B-E	Industry	12,6	10,4
F	Construction	7,7	7,2
G-N	Services	5,5	5,5
B-S	Total	8,8	7,8

Source: Wages, Salaries and Labour Costs

Inquiries: Pekka Haapala (09) 1734 3460

Director in charge: Kari Molnar

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Appendix tables

• Labour costs, Labour Cost Index 2008=100 from second quarter 2008 to the second quarter 2009 (7.9.2009)
• Labour costs, excluding one-off items, Labour Cost Index 2008=100 from second quarter 2008 to the second quarter 2009 1) (7.9.2009)
• Standard Industrial Classification 2008 (7.9.2009)

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Updated 7.9.2009