Hourly labour costs in Bulgaria increased by an annual 6.7% in the second quarter of 2021, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said on Tuesday, citing preliminary data.
Salary costs went up by 7.2% on the year in the second quarter, while other labour costs rose by an annual 4.3%, the NSI said in a statement.
The total hourly labour cost increased by 1.7% in industry, 4.7% in services and 13.4% in construction.
The breakdown by economic activities showed that total labour costs rose the most in the sector of public administration and defence; mandatory social insurance, by 23.2%, followed by human health and social work activities, and construction, which added 21.3% and 13.4%, respectively.
The highest decrease in total labour costs was recorded in real estate activities - by 4.9%, the NSI said.