Unit labour costs; national accounts

Wat erin zit

This table contains data on unit labour costs (labour costs include the total employee wages paid by employers plus taxes on labour costs minus labour cost subsidies). Unit labour costs are often calculated on the basis of the number of workers. However, the number of hours worked provides a more reliable measure of the use of labour. For this reason, the table also shows unit labour costs based on hours worked. In addition to the original figures, the table also includes seasonally adjusted figures. Unit labour costs are broken down into 13 economic sectors based on the Netherlands’ Standard Industrial Classification 2008 (SBI 2008).

Data available from: Q1 1996.

Status of the figures:

The figures for the three most recent years are provisional and may be adjusted on the basis of new or updated statistical source information and/or reconciliation with more recent data from the national accounts.

Last changed 30 September 2026:

The figures for Q2 2026 have been added to this table.

When will new figures be published?

The figures are published three months after the end of each quarter. When the figures for Q4 are calculated, the figures for the previous three quarters of that year are also updated. By the time of publication, the figures for the previous quarters may have changed. This is because after the publication of Q4 (when the figures for the first three quarters are also updated), the quarterly figures are updated three more times: with each new annual estimate, the quarterly figures are adjusted so that they continue to add up to the new annual figure. This is done for the first time in June and for the second time one year later when the definitive annual figures are published. The quarterly figures are also updated the following year, without any change to the annual totals. In addition, a number of series with quarterly figures are adjusted for seasonal effects. Every time a new quarter is added, the seasonal adjustment is applied to the entire series, potentially affecting all quarters. However, adjustments to figures previously published are usually minor.

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