Statbel publishes today the results of the four-yearly labour cost survey 2016. The survey is based on a the population local units of enterprises with at least 10 employees.
There are significant differences in the hourly labour cost according to the economic activity. Labour costs can be higher than 60 euros per hour worked in the electricity and gas sectors (69 euros) and in the financial and insurance activities sector (61.1 euros). The lowest labour costs can be found in the accommodation and food service activities (27.3 euros), the human health and social work activities (30.4 euros), the administrative and support service activities ( 30.4 euros) and the cultural sector (29.4 euros).
The size of the enterprise also plays a role. The highest hourly labour costs can be found in the largest enterprises (1,000 employees and more) with 41.2 euros per hour worked, while the lowest hourly labour costs can be found in small enterprises (10 to 49 enterprises) with 33.6 euros per hour worked.
The location of the enterprise is also a determining factor. Hourly labour costs are the highest in the Brussels-Capital Region, with 44.9 euros per hour worked. The hourly costs of the two other regions are pretty close to each other: 37.9 euros in Flanders and 36.3 euros in Wallonia.
Finally, direct remuneration and bonuses (66.0 %) and statutory social security contributions payable by the employer (23.1 %) represent 89.1 % of the labour costs. The remaining 10.9 % correspond to payments for days not worked, conventional and voluntary social security contributions, advantages in kind, vocational training costs, etc.
