Makrognosis

European Union Unit Labor Costs

QuarterlySeasonally adjustedCode EU.ULC.Q.SA

Latest (y/y)2.7%Q2 2026
Previous (y/y)3.6%Q1 2026
Level121.8Q2 2026

European Union Unit Labor Costs was up 2.7% year on year in Q2 2026, compared with 3.6% in Q1 2026.

The level stood at 121.8 (Index, 2020=100).

That is the lowest reading since Q1 2022.

Over the past ten years it has ranged from −3.8% (Q2 2021) to 7.8% (Q2 2020), averaging 2.8%.

European Union Unit Labor Costs, annual % change, Q1 1996 – Q2 2026−5.0%−2.5%0.0%2.5%5.0%7.5%200020052010201520202025Robomacro
European Union Unit Labor Costs, annual % change, Q1 1996 – Q2 2026. Source: Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union).
European Union Unit Labor Costs, level (Index, 2020=100)60801001201995200020052010201520202025Robomacro
European Union 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 2026121.82.7
Q1 2026121.53.6
Q4 2025120.33.4
Q3 2025119.23.3
Q2 2025118.53.3
Q1 2025117.33.1
Q4 2024116.43.3
Q3 2024115.44.4
Q2 2024114.74.9
Q1 2024113.85.5
Q4 2023112.66.8
Q3 2023110.56.9
Q2 2023109.47.1
Q1 2023107.96.2
Q4 2022105.54.5
Q3 2022103.43.4
Q2 2022102.23.2
Q1 2022101.62.4
Q4 2021100.91.0
Q3 202199.981.0
Q2 202199.00−3.8
Q1 202199.221.0
Q4 202099.853.5
Q3 202099.003.2

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

Get European Union 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/EU.ULC.Q.SA"

# Python
import requests
r = requests.get("https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/EU.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 high7.8% (Q2 2020)
10-year low−3.8% (Q2 2021)
10-year average2.8%
Source agencyEurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union)
Makrognosis codeEU.ULC.Q.SA

Compare across countries

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Other European Union indicators

European Union Inflation Rate (CPI)European Union Core Inflation RateEuropean Union Unemployment RateEuropean Union 10-Year Government Bond YieldEuropean Union Industrial ProductionEuropean Union Retail SalesEuropean Union Producer Price Inflation (PPI)European Union (EU27) - current account balance (BPM6, extra-), not seasonally adjustedEuropean Union Trade Balance: Goods & ServicesEuropean Union (EU27) - exports of goods (BPM6, extra-), not seasonally adjustedEuropean Union (EU27) exports of goods and services, Current prices, million EUREuropean Union (EU27) exports of goods and services, chain-linked volumeEuropean Union (EU27) - imports of goods (BPM6, extra-), not seasonally adjustedEuropean Union (EU27) imports of goods and services, Current prices, million EUREuropean Union (EU27) imports of goods and services, chain-linked volumeEuropean Union Government Debt to GDP

FAQ

What is the current unit Labor Costs in European Union?
The latest reading is 2.7% 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 EU.ULC.Q.SA.

Last updated 2026-10-31. Source: Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union). Original title: “European Union (EU27) - Unit labour cost / labour cost index (Eurostat namq_10_lp_ulc)”.