In the 3rd quarter of 2025, the Labour Cost Index (LCI) recorded a year-on-year increase of 4.7%. In the previous quarter, it had increased 5.5%.

The wage costs (per hour actually worked) and the other labour costs (also per hour actually worked) increased by 4.7%, compared with the same period of the previous year.

The year-on-year change of the LCI resulted also from the increase of 5.1% in the average cost per employee and the increase of 0.3% in the number of hours actually worked per employee. The increase of the average cost per employee was common to all economic activities, with higher increases in Construction (6.5%) and lower in Industry (4.6%). With the exception of Construction, which presented a higher increase than in the preceding quarter, Industry, Services and Public Administration recorded lower increases. The hours actually worked per employee increased in Public Administration and in Construction and decreased in Industry and in Services. The largest increase was observed in Public Administration (1.6%) and the highest decrease in Industry (-1.4%). As a result of these variations, the LCI increased in all economic activities, with the largest increase being recorded in Industry (6.1%).