The EU hourly average in 2012 was €23.4 in 2012. In the UK it was €21.6 in the same year.
Hourly labour costs in 2012 ranged from €3.7 in Bulgaria, €4.4 in Romania, €5.8 in Lithuania to €34.2 in France and €39.0 in Sweden across the 27 member states.
The labour costs are based on wages and salaries as well as non-wage costs such as employers' social contributions.
In the UK, hourly labour costs have risen from €20.9 in 2008 to €21.6 in 2012, which only represents a 3.3% rise in four years.
The biggest drop in labour costs was found in Greece. Coinciding with the country's economic problems, Eurostat figures showed a decrease of 11.2% from 2008 to 2012.
In the eurozone, the biggest increases since 2008 were in Austria (15.5%), Slovakia (13.8%) and Finland (13.7%).
The Eurostat data was given in euros to enable comparison across the EU. The data covers the whole economy except for agriculture and public administration.
