Labor costs per hour worked, among which are salaries, increased by 5.8% in the fourth quarter of last year compared to the same period in 2022, making it a chain of ten consecutive quarters of increases and in addition, it is the second highest rise since covid.
They are four tenths more than in the previous quarter, according to provisional data from the Harmonized Labor Cost Index (ICLA), published this morning by the INE, which show that this increase is the second highest since the pandemic. It is only surpassed by the second quarter of 2023, which was 6.5%.
Analyzing the increase in the last quarter of last year, it appears that the salary cost increased by 4.8% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, while other costs increased by 9%. If it focuses on the labor cost excluding extraordinary payments and delays, it remains at 6.2%.
By activities, those that registered the greatest increase in labor costs were information and communications (9.6%), professional, scientific and technical activities (8.2%), and wholesale trade (8.1%). Labor costs only decreased in one activity, in energy supply, where they fell by 2.8%.