The Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) published preliminary results on 8 September 2026 for the Índice de Coste Laboral Armonizado (ICLA; base year 2020) for the second quarter of 2026. Labour costs per hour worked rose by 4.2 per cent compared with the same quarter a year earlier, after adjusting for differences in working days and seasonal effects. The annual rate in the unadjusted original series is 4.8 per cent.
The ICLA measures changes in labour costs per hour worked using a harmonised indicator, with 2020 set as the base year equal to 100. The calendar- and seasonally adjusted series is used to assess the underlying trend, as it smooths regular fluctuations caused by differences in working days, holiday periods and payment patterns typical of particular industries. Publishing the original series alongside it makes it possible to see economically significant fluctuations.
By sector, the adjusted annual rates show the largest increases in public administration and defence including compulsory social security (6.9 per cent), followed by real estate activities (6.8 per cent) and education (6.5 per cent). By contrast, energy supply recorded the steepest fall, with an adjusted annual rate of minus 9.0 per cent. The range of figures underlines how sectoral weightings and pay structures significantly shape the overall index.
Quarter on quarter, the ICLA rose by 0.4 per cent after adjustment for calendar and seasonal effects. The unadjusted quarterly change was considerably higher, at 6.1 per cent. The INE attributes the difference mainly to the greater weight of exceptional payments in this quarter, which are reflected immediately in the original series but not in the adjusted one. The adjusted series is therefore more informative for short-term comparisons, while the original series shows the actual distribution of payments during the quarter.
The publication includes detailed tables, sectoral weightings and methodological notes. It is based on the quarterly Labour Cost Survey and supplementary administrative data for the public sector. The INE also says that it updated data for the first quarter of 2026 as part of the publication; the revised time series are available through INEBase . As an indicator for monitoring labour market cost trends, an annual increase in hourly labour costs of around four to five per cent — if not offset by corresponding productivity gains — signals potential cost pressures in individual sectors.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).