According to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in 2011 the average hourly labour costs made up of costs for wages & salaries, plus non-wage costs such as employers' social contributions, were estimated at €23.1 in the EU-27 and at €27.6 in the euro area. However, these averages mask significant differences between member states, with national hourly labour costs ranging from €3.5 to €39.3.
In 2011, the highest hourly labour costs in the EU-27 were estimated at €39.3 in Belgium, at €39.1 in Sweden, at €38.6 in Denmark, at €34.2 in France, at €33.7 in Luxembourg, at €31.1 in the Netherlands and at €30.1 in Germany, while the lowest hourly labour costs were estimated at €3.5 in Bulgaria, at €4.2 (in 2010) in Romania, at €5.5 in Lithuania and at €5.9 in Latvia.