00:00Which EU countries have the highest labor costs?
00:08If you thought starting and running a medium-sized business in the EU was a walk in the park, think
00:14again.
00:14Hiring someone costs an average of 35 euros per hour for companies with at least 10 employees.
00:21If we narrow it down to Eurozone countries only, that figure rises to 38 euros per hour.
00:27A quarter of it on average goes to non-wage costs, such as social contributions, but there are huge differences
00:34from one country to another.
00:36France, Sweden and Slovakia sustain the highest non-salary costs.
00:42Employers in Luxembourg pay the most in total, around 57 euros per hour, when you include wages and social contributions,
00:51the highest rate in the EU.
00:53That's a full 5 euros more per hour than second place Denmark, and almost 10 euros more than the Netherlands
01:00in third place.
01:01But the gap between the top and the bottom of the ranking is glaring.
01:06In Bulgaria, labor costs are just 12 euros per hour, the lowest in the EU, and a little over 15
01:12euros in Hungary.
01:14However, according to analysts, these two countries are expected to see the fastest real salary growth in 2026, around 3
01:22.5% in Hungary and 2.7% in Bulgaria.
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