Makrognosis

Euro Area Unit Labor Costs

QuarterlySeasonally adjustedCode EA.ULC.Q.SA

Latest (y/y)2.6%Q2 2026
Previous (y/y)3.6%Q1 2026
Level120.5Q2 2026

Euro Area Unit Labor Costs was up 2.6% year on year in Q2 2026, compared with 3.6% in Q1 2026.

The level stood at 120.5 (Index, 2020=100).

That is the lowest reading since Q1 2022.

Over the past ten years it has ranged from −4.3% (Q2 2021) to 8.2% (Q2 2020), averaging 2.7%.

Euro Area Unit Labor Costs, annual % change, Q1 1996 – Q2 2026−5.0%−2.5%0.0%2.5%5.0%7.5%200020052010201520202025Robomacro
Euro Area Unit Labor Costs, annual % change, Q1 1996 – Q2 2026. Source: Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union).
Euro Area Unit Labor Costs, level (Index, 2020=100)60801001201995200020052010201520202025Robomacro
Euro Area Unit Labor Costs, level (Index, 2020=100).

Showing the full history (downsampled for display). Open the interactive chart to zoom and switch transforms.

Recent data

PeriodValueY/Y %
Q2 2026120.52.6
Q1 2026120.13.6
Q4 2025119.13.3
Q3 2025118.23.4
Q2 2025117.43.3
Q1 2025116.03.0
Q4 2024115.33.3
Q3 2024114.24.1
Q2 2024113.64.7
Q1 2024112.75.0
Q4 2023111.66.3
Q3 2023109.86.6
Q2 2023108.56.7
Q1 2023107.36.0
Q4 2022105.04.4
Q3 2022103.03.2
Q2 2022101.73.1
Q1 2022101.32.4
Q4 2021100.60.9
Q3 202199.831.0
Q2 202198.64−4.3
Q1 202198.970.6
Q4 202099.683.4
Q3 202098.823.2

Last 24 observations. The full history (126 observations) is available through the API.

Get Euro Area Unit Labor Costs in your code or spreadsheet

One guessable code, agency-direct, updated on release. Free tier available.

curl -H "X-API-Key: $MAKROGNOSIS_KEY" \
  "https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/EA.ULC.Q.SA"

# Python
import requests
r = requests.get("https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/EA.ULC.Q.SA",
                 headers={"X-API-Key": KEY})
obs = r.json()["observations"]
Get a free API key → · API docs

About this series

Latest observationQ2 2026
First observationQ1 1995
Observations126
FrequencyQuarterly
UnitsIndex, 2020=100
AdjustmentSeasonally adjusted
10-year high8.2% (Q2 2020)
10-year low−4.3% (Q2 2021)
10-year average2.7%
Source agencyEurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union)
Makrognosis codeEA.ULC.Q.SA

Compare across countries

Unit Labor Costs by country →

Other Euro Area indicators

Euro Area GDP (Gross Domestic Product)Euro Area Real GDP (Current prices, million EURs, 2010 ref)Euro Area Inflation Rate (CPI)Euro Area Core Inflation RateEuro Area Unemployment RateEuro Area 10-Year Government Bond YieldEuro Area Industrial ProductionEuro Area Retail SalesEuro Area Producer Price Inflation (PPI)Euro Area Current account balance (BPM6, extra-euro-area), not seasonally adjustedEuro Area Trade Balance: Goods & ServicesEuro Area Exports of goods (BPM6 credits, extra-euro-area), not seasonally adjustedEuro Area Exports of goods and services, Current prices, million EUREuro Area Exports of goods and services, chain-linked volumeEuro Area Imports of goods (BPM6 debits, extra-euro-area), not seasonally adjustedEuro Area Imports of goods and services, Current prices, million EUR

FAQ

What is the current unit Labor Costs in Euro Area?
The latest reading is 2.6% year on year for Q2 2026, published by Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union).
Where does this data come from?
It is collected directly from Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union) and is available through the Makrognosis API under the code EA.ULC.Q.SA.

Last updated 2026-11-01. Source: Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union). Original title: “Euro area - Unit labour cost / labour cost index (Eurostat namq_10_lp_ulc)”.