The total hourly labour cost in Bulgaria rose by 7.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2016, the national statistical office NSI announced on Tuesday.

In March, the NSI reported a 5.8% year-on-year increase in labour cost for the fourth quarter of 2015.

In January-March 2016, the total hourly labour cost grew by 8.6% in industry, 7.0% in services and 8.4% in construction, the NSI said, citing preliminary data.

In the structure of labour costs, the wages and salaries costs per hour worked grew by 7.6% in comparison with the first quarter of 2015, while non-wage costs (the actual and imputed social insurance contribution paid by employers plus taxes regarded as labour costs) rose by 7.8%.

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