France hourly costs year-on-year: main economic activities
France hourly costs year-on-year: main economic activities stood at 2.5% in Q2 2026, according to INSEE – Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (BDM). It is one of the indicators in the Wages and labour cost table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 1999 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Wages and labour cost table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour cost index | |||||||||||
| hourly costs - Main economic activities (NAF rev. 2, sections B to N) - Year-on-year change | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 3 | 3 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.8 | |
| hourly costs - Main economic activities (NAF rev. 2, sections B to N) - Quaterly change | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
Understanding france hourly costs year-on-year: main economic activities
The twelve-month percentage change in total hourly employer expenditures for personnel across major market economic activities measures the annual pace of labour cost inflation. This broad aggregate combines wage developments from primary, industrial, construction, and service sectors, offering a macroeconomic view of labour price pressures without the noise of monthly volatility. By measuring the annual variation, the series neutralizes seasonal hiring patterns, annual bonus cycles, and weather-related disruptions that affect individual quarters.
Interpreting this twelve-month indicator requires recognizing that it reflects a weighted composite of diverse sector dynamics, where surging wages in one industry can be masked by stagnation in another. Revisions to early annual estimates occur as more complete multi-quarter administrative datasets are reconciled by statistical authorities. Users should avoid comparing this cost metric directly with consumer price inflation without accounting for simultaneous productivity growth rates across the constituent business sectors.
Frequently asked questions
- Which economic sections are aggregated in the main activities year-on-year cost change?
- The measure covers NAF rev. 2 sections B through N, encompassing mining, manufacturing, utilities, construction, trade, transport, and market services.
- Why is the year-on-year format preferred over quarterly changes for this series?
- Comparing the current quarter to the same quarter of the previous year eliminates seasonal distortions and synchronized annual bonus schedules inherent in single-quarter data.
- Does this year-on-year index include public administration and education?
- No, the aggregate focuses strictly on market economic activities (sections B to N), omitting non-market public services and civil service components.