Malta’s hourly labour cost lags behind eurozone average

If you thought Malta’s labour cost was high, think again because at €13.80 per hour, it is no match for highflying Denmark with an hourly cost of €42.50 but is three times as much as Bulgaria's

The hourly labour cost in Malta last year rose by 2%
The hourly labour cost in Malta last year rose by 2%

Malta’s hourly labour cost in the private sector was less than half the eurozone average last year, figures out on Monday showed.

With a labour cost of €13.80 per hour, Malta lagged behind the eurozone average of €30.30, according to Eurostat, an EU agency. The Malta figure is also half the average for the EU-28, which stands at €26.80.

The hourly labour cost in Malta rose by 2% in 2017, over the previous year. The figures are for companies emplying 10 people or more and exclude public administration jobs and agriculture.

Malta had the 18th lowest hourly labour cost, placing below Cyprus, Greece and Portugal, which had costs of €16, €14.50 and €14.10, respectively.

The figures are testament to the wide economic disaprities in the EU.

The country with the highest hourly labour cost was Denmark at €42.50, followed by Belgium (€39.60) and Luxembourg (€37.60). The bottom of the table was occupied by Bulgaria with an hourly labour cost of just €4.90.