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Annual price inflation in the 15 member states of the European Union increased to 2.2% in January 2001 (up from 1.8% in January 2000). The euro-zone countries recorded the slightly higher figure of 2.4%. Individual Member State figures worth noting are the Netherlands at 4.5%, up from 1.6% and from third bottom to top of the league and the U.K.'s, still the lowest at 0.9%.
Country |
% change Jan 2001 on January 2000 |
% change Jan 2000 on January 1999 |
|
|
|
|
|
Netherlands |
4.5 |
1.6 |
|
Portugal |
4.4 |
1.9 |
|
Ireland |
3.9 |
4.4 |
|
Spain |
3.8 |
2.9 |
|
Greece |
3.2 |
1.6 |
|
Finland |
2.9 |
2.0 |
|
Luxembourg |
2.9 |
3.5 |
|
Belgium |
2.8 |
1.8 |
|
Italy |
2.7 |
2.2 |
|
Euro-zone |
2.4 |
2.0 |
|
Denmark |
2.3 |
2.8 |
|
Germany |
2.2 |
1.9 |
|
EU average |
2.2 |
1.8 |
|
Austria |
2.2 |
1.6 |
|
Sweden |
1.6 |
1.0 |
|
France |
1.4 |
1.7 |
|
UK |
0.9 |
0.8 |
A recent Eurostat report has highlighted the likely trends in EU population to affect numbers in work as against those retired and children. The EU labour force will grow at first from 169 million in 1995 to a projected 183 million in 2010 but after that it will decline as the post war 'baby boom' generations begin to reach retirement age. This will be offset by the increased participation of women, older people and young adults but by 2050 the work force is projected to be back at 1985 levels (154 million). The ratio of the non-active to the active population will rise after 2010 until, by 2025, only 18 of the 202 regions of the European Union are forecasted to have more workers than 'dependents', 11 of them in the United Kingdom. In 1995 the ratio was lowest in Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire(0.84) and highest in Sicily (2.03).
Country |
Ratio of 'dependent' to working population | ||
|
|
1995 |
2010 (forecast) |
2025 (forecast) |
|
Italy |
1.508 |
1.411 |
1.519 |
|
Ireland |
1.491 |
1.157 |
1.263 |
|
Luxembourg |
1.430 |
1.372 |
1.484 |
|
Belgium |
1.419 |
1.343 |
1.533 |
|
Spain |
1.406 |
1.248 |
1.384 |
|
Greece |
1.371 |
1.273 |
1.341 |
|
France |
1.263 |
1.128 |
1.267 |
|
EU Average |
1.195 |
1.103 |
1.216 |
|
Netherlands |
1.097 |
1.034 |
1.160 |
|
Portugal |
1.092 |
0.989 |
1.027 |
|
Finland |
1.060 |
1.099 |
1.254 |
|
Austria |
1.052 |
0.965 |
1.065 |
|
Germany |
1.050 |
0.990 |
1.114 |
|
UK |
1.033 |
0.937 |
1.030 |
|
Sweden |
0.964 |
1.050 |
1.126 |
|
Denmark |
0.858 |
0.862 |
0.914 |
A Eurostat news release shows that labour costs (expenditure by employers to employ workers) differ widely between countries in the EU. By the crude measurement of euros per hour, the rate in Austria, the most expensive place to employ labour, is about 4 times that in Portugal, the cheapest. Breaking these costs down, the U.K. is found to have the second lowest social security contributions by employers (as a percentage of total expenditure) and with the second highest percentage going on wages and salaries.
Country |
Labour costs per hour in Euros (1999) |
Direct remuneration (% of labour costs) |
Social security contributions (% of labour costs) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Austria |
27.2 |
61.2 |
25.3 |
|
Denmark |
27.0 |
75.9 |
6.4 |
|
Germany |
26.8 |
63.2 |
23.1 |
|
Belgium |
26.2 |
57.5 |
29.9 |
|
Sweden |
25.8 |
60.4 |
29.8 |
|
France |
23.8 |
57.8 |
28.6 |
|
Luxembourg |
22.7 |
71.8 |
14.5 |
|
Netherlands |
21.7 |
65.9 |
22.1 |
|
Finland |
20.8 |
64.5 |
21.8 |
|
UK |
19.3 |
74.8 |
12.6 |
|
Italy |
18.8 |
60.7 |
32.7 |
|
Ireland |
16.2 |
73.8 |
13.4 |
|
Spain |
15.3 |
73.8 |
24.4 |
|
Greece |
11.8 |
--.- |
27.1 |
|
Portugal |
7.0 |
69.9 |
20.4 |
|
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