News United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/fls USDL: 06-2020

Technical information: (202) 691-5654 For Release: 10:00 A.M. EST 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, November 30, 2006 

INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF HOURLY COMPENSATION COSTS

FOR PRODUCTION WORKERS IN MANUFACTURING, 2005

Average hourly compensation costs in U.S. dollars for production workers in manufacturing 

among 32 foreign economies were 80 percent of the U.S. level in 2005, virtually unchanged 

from 79 percent in 2004, according to data issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. 

Department of Labor. Compensation costs relative to the United States rose or remained 

unchanged in 21 of the economies covered in 2005. (See table 1.) Data for Poland, a relatively 

low labor cost country, are included in this release for the first time. A note on China’s labor 

costs appears on page 5 of this release. 

In the United States, hourly compensation costs for production workers in manufacturing 

increased 3.6 percent in 2005, to $23.65. When measured in national currency terms, tradeweighted average costs increased 2.9 percent in the combined 32 foreign economies in 2005. 

This was less than the increase in the United States, but the value of foreign currencies rose 3.1 

percent against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a rise in hourly compensation costs in the foreign 

economies of 6.1 percent on a U.S. dollar basis. (See chart 1 and table A.) 

0

4

8

12

16

20

24

28

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chart 1. Hourly compensation costs in U.S. dollars for

production workers in manufacturing, 1975-2005

Europe 1

Canada

32 Foreign Economies 1

United States

Mexico

Asian NIEs 1,2

Hourly 

costs ($)

Japan

1 Trade-weighted average

2 The Asian NIEs are Hong Kong SAR, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.
- 2 - 

Compensation costs expressed in U.S. dollars

This release provides manufacturing compensation data in terms of both national currencies 

and U.S. dollars. While data on a national currency basis show underlying wage and benefit 

trends within each country, frequent and sometimes sharp changes in currency exchange rates 

can have a large impact on compensation costs on a U.S. dollar basis. Data on a U.S. dollar 

basis are calculated by dividing compensation costs in the national currency by the exchange rate 

(expressed as national currency units per U.S. dollar). Compensation costs on a U.S. dollar basis 

are often used as indicators of competitiveness of manufactured goods in world trade and are the 

focus of the following discussion. 

Compensation costs for production workers in manufacturing measured in U.S. dollars 

continued to rise in 2005 in most of the foreign economies—with only one country, Japan, 

showing a decrease in costs. The rate of compensation increase in a trade-weighted average of 

the 32 foreign economies was 6.1 percent in 2005, above the 5.7 percent historical average for 

the series. (See table A and table 3.) 

1 For 2005, U.S. hourly compensation costs were $23.65. 

2 Trade-weighted average -

Chart 2. Indexes of hourly compensation costs in U.S. dollars

for production workers in manufacturing, 2005

(U.S. = 100)

United States 1 Canada Mexico Europe2 Japan Asian NIEs2 All 32 foreign 

economies2

100

50 

Although average costs in the United States continued to be higher than those in most of the 

economies covered outside of Europe, 12 of the European countries had higher hourly 

compensation costs than the United States, in a few cases more than 40 percent higher. With the 

value of the Euro remaining virtually unchanged against the U.S. dollar in 2005 (+0.1 percent), 

European labor costs measured in U.S. dollars showed much weaker growth than in the previous 

three years. Fifteen of the nineteen European countries for which data are available recorded 

annual growth rates in hourly compensation costs of between 1.0 and 4.5 percent in 2005. This 

is in contrast with the 2002 to 2004 period, when most European countries exhibited double-digit 
- 3 - 

growth. The only European countries to have double-digit growth in hourly compensation costs 

on a U.S. dollar basis in 2005 were the Czech Republic and Poland (12.1 and 17.9 percent, 

respectively), both of which also experienced strong appreciation of their national currencies. 

Compensation costs in Europe, on average, continued to be almost $4 higher on a per hour 

basis than in the United States. However, there is great variation in the level of compensation 

costs among the European countries covered. For example, hourly compensation costs in Europe 

ranged from $4.54 in Poland to more than eight times that level in Norway ($39.14), the highest 

labor cost country in these comparisons. (See table 2.) 

Outside of Europe, annual percent changes in manufacturing compensation costs measured 

in U.S. dollars varied considerably in 2005. Hourly compensation costs in Brazil and the 

Republic of Korea continued to grow strongly in 2005 (29.9 and 21.8 percent, respectively), 

boosted by an appreciation of the Brazilian real and Korean won against the U.S. dollar. Japan 

was the only country in these comparisons to show a decrease in hourly compensation costs 

measured in U.S. dollars (-0.4 percent), despite an increase in costs on a national currency basis, 

due to the depreciation of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar. 

A note on the measures 

 The hourly compensation costs measures in this news release are based on statistics available to 

BLS as of September 2006. These measures are prepared specifically for international comparisons of 

employer labor costs in manufacturing. The methods used, as well as the results, differ somewhat from 

those of other BLS series on U.S. compensation costs. 

 See the Technical Notes for further information regarding definitions, sources, and computation 

methods, as well as a description of the trade-weighted measures for economic groups. 

 The data for some countries may have been revised in later updates to reflect new or revised data 

provided to BLS subsequent to this news release. See Hourly Compensation Costs for Production 

Workers in Manufacturing, 33 Countries or Areas, 22 Manufacturing Industries at 

http://www.bls.gov/fls/flshcindnaics.htm for the most recent data. 

Exchange rates

 The trade-weighted 3.1 percent increase in the value of the currencies of the 32 foreign 

economies against the U.S. dollar was the smallest increase since 2002 (0.4 percent), but well 

above the average annual change since 1975 (-3.4 percent). The currencies of most economies 

appreciated in 2005, while the currencies of only six countries−Denmark, Israel, Japan, Sweden, 

Switzerland, and the United Kingdom−depreciated against the dollar. (See table 5.) 

 The movements of the foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar in 2005 had an influence 

on hourly manufacturing compensation costs measured in U.S. dollars. Hourly compensation 

costs on a national currency basis in the 32 foreign economies rose 2.9 percent, less than in the 

United States. When adjusted for the appreciation of the foreign currencies against the U.S. 

dollar, those costs increased 6.1 percent, higher than in the United States. The effect that 
- 4 - 

Table A. Hourly compensation costs, in national currency and in U.S. dollars, for production workers 

in manufacturing and exchange rates (U.S. dollars per national currency unit) 

Percent change, 2004-2005 

Hourly 

compensation, Exchange 

Hourly 

compensation, 

national rates U.S. 

Country or area 

currency dollars 

Americas 

United States 3.6 - 3.6 

Brazil 8.1 20.2 29.9 

Canada 1.9 7.4 9.4 

Mexico 4.1 3.7 7.9 

Asia and Oceania 

Australia 2.9 3.6 6.5 

Hong Kong SAR 1 2.4 .1 2.6 

Israel 3.6 -.1 3.5 

Japan 1.4 -1.7 -.4 

Korea 8.9 11.8 21.8 

New Zealand 3.4 6.1 9.7 

Singapore 2.2 1.6 3.8 

Sri Lanka - - - 

Taiwan 2.8 3.9 6.8 

Europe 

Austria 3.0 .1 3.1 

Belgium 2.5 .1 2.6 

Czech Republic 4.5 7.3 12.1 

Denmark 3.0 -.1 2.9 

Finland 4.0 .1 4.1 

France 3.0 .1 3.1 

Germany 1.4 .1 1.5 

Greece 

Hungary 

 - 

 6.2 

 - 

 1.6 

 - 

 7.8 

Ireland 3.6 .1 3.7 

Italy 2.7 .1 2.8 

Luxembourg 4.1 .1 4.2 

Netherlands 3.3 .1 3.4 

Norway 2.7 4.6 7.5 

Poland 4.3 13.0 17.9 

Portugal 4.4 .1 4.5 

Spain 3.7 .1 3.8 

Sweden 2.8 -1.6 1.1 

Switzerland 1.2 -.2 1.0 

United Kingdom 4.3 -.6 3.6 

Trade-weighted measures 2

All 32 foreign economies 2.9 3.1 6.1 

OECD 3 2.9 3.2 6.2 

Europe 2.9 -.1 2.8 

Asian NIEs 5.0 6.0 11.5 

1

 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 

2

 The 2004-2005 percent changes for the trade-weighted measures are based upon the changes 

 for the countries or areas for which 2005 data are available. 3

 OECD refers to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 
- 5 - 

2002 4.73 0.57 3 

2003 5.17 0.62 3 

2004 5.50 0.67 3 

(United States = 100) 

Index 

(US$) 

U.S. dollar basis 

(Yuan) 

Year National currency basis 

China: Hourly Compensation Costs for All Employees in Manufacturing, 2002-2004

Data for 2002 are from Judith Banister’s August 2005 article in the Monthly Labor Review, found on the 

BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/08/art3full.pdf. In general, the methods used to update the 

hourly compensation costs estimates to 2003 and 2004 are the same as the methods used in the Banister article. 

A more detailed explanation and analysis of the 2003 and 2004 data for China will be available in a forthcoming 

article in the November 2006 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. 

The compensation costs data presented for China are not directly comparable with the data for other 

countries found in this release. China’s data refer to all employees while data for other countries only refer to 

production workers. Since non-production workers in manufacturing often are compensated at higher rates than 

their production worker counterparts, the inclusion of non-production workers in China’s data may affect 

comparability with other countries. In addition, it is likely that certain groups of workers are not fully captured 

in the annual administrative data published by China’s National Bureau of Statistics, specifically migrant 

workers and workers employed in small-scale and private enterprises and the informal sector. 

Acknowledging the importance of China as one of the United States’ largest trading partners, BLS is 

including data for China in this release for the first time. Due to data limitations, data are presented separately 

and only for 2002-2004. 

China 

exchange rate changes can have on hourly compensation costs is particularly evident when 

comparing the labor costs of Canada with those of the United States. On a national currency basis, 

the increase in hourly compensation costs in Canada (1.9 percent) was less than the increase in the 

United States (3.6 percent). When adjusted for changes in exchange rates, however, the increase in 

costs on a U.S. dollar basis was significantly higher in Canada than in the United States (9.4 percent 

versus 3.6 percent). 

Additional data available

 In addition to the compensation cost measures covered in this news release, supplementary 

tables are available for comparative levels of hourly compensation costs, hourly direct pay, pay for 

time worked, and the structure of compensation for production workers in manufacturing for all 

years from 1975 through 2005. Data also are available for national currency hourly compensation 

and exchange rates from 1975 through 2005 in the supplementary tables (http://www.bls.gov/fls). 
- 6 - 

 BLS also computes comparative measures for 22 component manufacturing industries. Data 

for the component industries are not included in this release; in general, the data limitations for the 

component industries are greater than for total manufacturing. Data are available upon request and 

via the Internet (http://www.bls.gov/fls). The data for component industries currently are available 

on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis from 1992 to 2004. 

 For further information, contact the Office of Productivity and Technology by phone at 202-

691-5654, by e-mail at flshc@bls.gov, or by mail at Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts 

Avenue, NE, Room 2150, Washington, DC 20212. 

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 

Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339. 

This material is in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be reproduced without 

permission. It may be translated into foreign languages without permission, with a separate credit 

for the translation. 
-7- 

TECHNICAL NOTES 

 

 The tables in this news release present international comparisons of hourly compensation costs for production 

workers in manufacturing in selected countries or areas. The total compensation measures are prepared by the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics in order to assess international differences in employer labor costs. Comparisons based 

on the more readily available average earnings statistics published by many countries can be very misleading. 

National definitions of average earnings differ considerably; average earnings do not include all items of labor 

compensation; and the omitted items of compensation frequently represent a large proportion of total compensation. 

 The compensation measures are computed in national currency units and are converted into U.S. dollars at 

prevailing commercial market currency exchange rates. The foreign currency exchange rates used in the 

calculations are the average daily exchange rates for the reference period. They are appropriate measures for 

comparing levels of employer labor costs. They do not indicate relative living standards of workers or the 

purchasing power of their income. Prices of goods and services vary greatly among countries, and commercial 

market exchange rates are not reliable indicators of relative differences in prices. 

 The compensation measures in this news release are based on statistics available to BLS as of September 2006. 

These measures may be revised as data are collected to update compensation measures for component industries. 

 Beginning with this release, BLS has prepared measures of hourly compensation costs for Poland. Because of 

data limitations, the measures cover only the years 1997-2005. 

Definitions 

 Hourly compensation costs include (1) hourly direct pay and (2) employer social insurance expenditures and 

other labor taxes. Hourly direct pay includes all payments made directly to the worker, before payroll deductions of 

any kind, consisting of (a) pay for time worked and (b) other direct pay. Pay for time worked includes basic time 

and piece rates plus overtime premiums, shift differentials, other premiums and bonuses paid regularly each pay 

period, and cost-of-living adjustments. Other direct pay includes pay for time not worked (vacation, holidays, and 

other leave, except sick leave), seasonal or irregular bonuses and other special payments, selected social allowances, 

and the cost of payments in kind. Social insurance expenditures and other labor taxes include (c) employer 

expenditures for legally required insurance programs and contractual and private benefit plans and (d) other labor 

taxes. Social insurance expenditures include employer expenditures for retirement and disability pensions, health 

insurance, income guarantee insurance and sick leave, life and accident insurance, occupational injury and illness 

compensation, unemployment insurance, and family allowances. Other labor taxes includes taxes on payrolls or 

employment (or reductions to reflect subsidies), even if they do not finance programs that directly benefit workers, 

because such taxes are regarded as labor costs. 

 The BLS definition of hourly compensation costs is not the same as the International Labor Office (ILO) 

definition of total labor costs. Hourly compensation costs do not include all items of labor costs. The costs of 

recruitment, employee training, and plant facilities and services−such as cafeterias and medical clinics−are not 

included because data are not available for many countries. The labor costs not included account for no more than 4 

percent of total labor costs in any country for which the data are available. 

 Production workers generally include those employees who are engaged in fabricating, assembly, and related 

activities; material handling, warehousing, and shipping; maintenance and repair; janitorial and guard services; 

auxiliary production (for example, power plants); and other services closely related to the above activities. Working 

supervisors are generally included; apprentices and other trainees are generally excluded. 

Methods 

 Total compensation is computed by adjusting each country's average earnings series for items of direct pay not 

included in earnings and for employer expenditures for legally required insurance, contractual and private benefit 

plans, and other labor taxes. For the United States and other countries that measure earnings on an hours-paid basis, 

the figures are also adjusted in order to approximate compensation per hour worked. 

 Earnings statistics are obtained from surveys of employment, hours, and earnings or from surveys or censuses of 

manufactures. 

 Adjustment factors are obtained from periodic labor cost surveys and interpolated or projected to non-survey 

years on the basis of other information for most countries. The information used includes tabulations of employer 

social security contribution rates provided by the International Social Security Association, information on 

contractual and legislated fringe benefit changes from labor bulletins, and statistical series on indirect labor costs. 

For other countries, adjustment factors are obtained from surveys or censuses of manufactures or from reports on 
-8- 

fringe-benefit systems and social security. For the United States, the adjustment factors are special calculations for 

international comparisons based on data from several surveys. 

 The statistics are also adjusted, where necessary, to account for major differences in worker coverage; differences 

in industrial classification systems; and changes over time in survey coverage, sample benchmarks, or frequency of 

surveys. Nevertheless, some differences in industrial coverage remain and, with the exception of the United States, 

Canada, and several other countries, the data exclude very small establishments (less than 5 employees in Japan and 

less than 10 employees in most European and some other countries). For the United States, the methods used, as 

well as the results, differ somewhat from those for other BLS series on U.S. compensation costs. 

 Hourly compensation costs are converted to U.S. dollars using the average daily exchange rate for the reference 

period. The exchange rates used are prevailing commercial market exchange rates as published by either the U.S. 

Federal Reserve Board or the International Monetary Fund. 

 On January 1, 1999, several European countries joined the European Monetary Union (EMU): Austria, Belgium, 

Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Greece joined on 

January 1, 2001. Currencies of EMU members were established at fixed conversion rates to the euro, the official 

currency of the EMU. In this release, data on hourly compensation costs in national currency and exchange rates for 

the EMU countries relate to euros for 1999 to present; for the years 1975-1998 these data are published in the old 

national currencies used in each country before the euro was adopted. In order to include data on trends in national 

currency compensation costs and exchange rates for the entire time period, BLS converts national currency for 

1975-1998 to a “euro” basis for calculation. The conversions for all years 1975-1998 are made using the official 

fixed conversion rates for 1999. 

Industrial classification 

 The hourly compensation measures relate to manufacturing on a North American Industry Classification System 

(NAICS) basis. NAICS is the common industrial classification used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 

The NAICS definition of manufacturing differs somewhat from the definition of manufacturing used in other 

countries. Some industries that are not included in the NAICS definition of manufacturing, such as publishing of 

books and sound recordings, some repair and maintenance of equipment, and some business support services, are 

included in the definition of manufacturing in most other industrial classifications. Other industries, such as some 

processing of foods, some packaging, and retail sales of bakery products from the production facility, are included in 

the NAICS definition of manufacturing but not in the definition of manufacturing for most foreign economies. Most 

of the differences other than the treatment of publishing are very minor and do not have a noticeable impact on 

overall manufacturing averages. 

 BLS makes adjustments to remove publishing from manufacturing for the foreign economies in which it is 

classified as a part of manufacturing, except for Sri Lanka, for which the data necessary to remove publishing are 

not available. For the countries for which adjustments are made, the effect of publishing on manufacturing wages 

was estimated and removed using data from national sources, the United Nations Industrial Statistics Database, the 

International Labor Office (ILO), and other sources. Except for Hong Kong, the effect of removing publishing from 

manufacturing does not change the level of hourly compensation costs for any economy more than 1.5 percent. For 

Hong Kong, the effect of the adjustments is 2 to 4 percent in several years. 

 

Country notes 

 The following are exceptions to the standard coverage and definitions explained above: 

 Australia. Compensation relates to production workers and non-production workers other than those in 

managerial, executive, professional, and higher supervisory positions. 

 Hong Kong SAR. Average of selected manufacturing industries. The industries covered accounted for about 63 

percent of all persons employed in manufacturing in 2001. Compensation excludes overtime pay. Hong Kong 

became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China in July 1997. 

 Austria. Excludes workers in establishments considered handicraft manufacturers. In 1986, handicraft 

employment was about 35 percent of all manufacturing employment. In 2003, the handicraft blue collar workers’ 

average monthly gross wage was $1,893. The average monthly gross wage of manufacturing blue-collar workers 

was $2,156.

 Finland. Data are for industrial workers and include workers in mining and electrical power plants which 

account for around 3 percent of industrial employment. For comparability with other countries, compensation 

excludes some obligatory training and plant facilities costs; in 1994, these costs would add 1.6 percent to average 

hourly compensation costs. 
-9- 

 Germany. Excludes workers in establishments considered handicraft manufacturers. Handicraft employment in 

Germany was 20.3 percent of all employment in manufacturing in 1994. Average hourly earnings of production 

workers were about 3 percent lower in manufacturing including handicrafts than in manufacturing excluding 

handicrafts in 1990. 

 Ireland. Data refer to September for 1975. 

 Mexico. Compensation costs data for Mexico exclude petroleum and coal products manufacturing. 

 Norway. For comparability with other countries, compensation excludes some obligatory training and plant 

facilities costs; in 1994, these costs would add 2.2 percent to average hourly compensation costs. 

Trade-weighted measures 

 The trade weights used to compute the average compensation cost measures for selected economic groups are 

weights based on the relative dollar value of U.S. trade in manufactured commodities (exports plus imports) with 

each country or area in 2004. (See the following table.) The trade data are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

 The only countries not covered in the trade-weighted measures of this report that accounted for as much as one 

percent of such trade are China, Malaysia, Thailand, and India. Hourly compensation costs data for China are 

included in this report in a special text box. In addition, an article on manufacturing compensation costs in China is 

available on the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/08/art3full.pdf. The compensation data on 

China are not directly comparable with the data for other countries found in this new release. 

 The countries included in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) trade-weighted 

measure are Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and all European countries. 

The group labeled "European Union-15" consists of the 15 members of the European Union before the expansion to 

25 countries on May 1, 2004 (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, 

Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). The group labeled "Europe" 

consists of the 15 members of the European Union-15, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway, Poland, and 

Switzerland. The group labeled "Asian NIEs" consists of the four newly industrialized economies of Hong Kong 

SAR, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. 

 The trade-weighted measures relate to all the countries or areas covered in the series. Estimates are computed for 

missing country data using the average trend in other economies to estimate the missing data. Trade weighted 

average percent changes for the 32 foreign economies are computed both including and excluding Brazil, the Czech 

Republic, Hungary, and Poland because a lack of data for these countries prior to the mid-1990s. 

 The trade-weighted average rates of change are computed as the trade-weighted arithmetic average of the rates of 

change for the individual countries or areas; the trade-weighted average hourly compensation costs are computed as 

the trade-weighted arithmetic average of cost levels for the individual countries or areas. Rates of change derived 

from the trade-weighted average hourly compensation cost levels need not be the same as the trade-weighted 

average rates of change. 
-10- 

Share of total U.S. imports and exports of manufactured products in 2004 

(in percent) 

 

Country or area and 

economic group 2004 trade share 

Country or area and 

economic group 2004 trade share 

 

Brazil............................ 1.7 Greece............ 0.1 

Canada.......................... 20.0 Hungary........... 0.2 

Mexico.......................... 12.5 Ireland............. 1.9 

 Italy................ 2.0 

Australia............... 1.1 Luxembourg...... 0.1 

Hong Kong SAR 1.... 1.3 Netherlands...... 1.8 

Israel................... 1.2 Norway............ 0.2 

Japan.................. 9.4 Poland............. 0.1 

Korea, Republic of........... 3.7 Portugal........... 0.2 

New Zealand........ 0.2 Spain.............. 0.7 

Singapore........... 1.8 Sweden........... 0.8 

Sri Lanka............ 0.1 Switzerland...... 1.0 

Taiwan............... 2.9 United Kingdom 3.8 

 

Austria............... 0.4 Economic Groups 

Belgium............. 1.5 32 foreign 

Czech Republic... 0.1 economies...... 74.7 

Denmark............ 0.3 OECD 2.............. 66.2 

Finland.............. 0.3 Europe.............. 22.4 

France............... 2.7 European Union-15 3 20.8 

Germany ........... 5.6 Asian NIEs......... 9.1 

1

 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 

2

 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

3

 Includes the 15 European Union members prior to expansion on May 1, 2004. 

 

Data limitations 

 Because compensation is partly estimated, the statistics should not be considered as precise measures of 

comparative compensation costs. In addition, the figures are subject to revision as the results of new labor cost 

surveys or other data used to estimate compensation costs become available. 

 The comparative level figures in this report are averages for all manufacturing industries and are not necessarily 

representative of all component industries. In the United States and some other countries, such as Japan, 

differentials in hourly compensation cost levels by industry are fairly wide. 

Labor costs versus labor income

 The hourly compensation figures in U.S. dollars shown in the tables provide comparative measures of employer 

labor costs; they do not provide intercountry comparisons of the purchasing power of worker incomes. Prices of 

goods and services vary greatly among countries, and the commercial market exchange rates used to compare 

employer labor costs do not reliably indicate relative differences in prices. Purchasing power parities, that is, the 

number of foreign currency units required to buy goods and services equivalent to what can be purchased with one 

unit of U.S. or other base-country currency must be used for meaningful international comparisons of the relative 

purchasing power of worker incomes. 

 Total compensation converted to U.S. dollars at purchasing power parities would provide one measure for 

comparing relative real levels of labor income. It should be noted, however, that total compensation includes 
-11- 

employer payments to funds for the benefit of workers in addition to payments made directly to workers. (For a few 

countries, the compensation measures also include taxes or subsidies on payrolls or employment even if they do not 

finance programs which directly benefit workers.) Payments into these funds provide either deferred income (for 

example, payments to retirement funds), a type of insurance (for example, payments to unemployment or health 

benefit funds), or current social benefits (for example, family allowances), and the relationship between employer 

payments and current or future worker benefits is indirect. On the other hand, excluding these payments would 

understate the total value of income derived from work because they substitute for worker savings or self-insurance 

to cover retirement, medical costs, etc. 

 Total compensation, because it takes account of employer payments into funds for the benefit of workers, is a 

broader income concept than either total direct earnings or direct spendable earnings. An even broader concept 

would take account of all social benefits available to workers, including those financed out of general revenues as 

well as those financed through employment or payroll taxes. 

 
 -12- 

 Table 1. Indexes of hourly compensation costs for production workers in manufacturing, 

 33 countries or areas and selected economic groups, selected years, 1975-2005 

 Country or area 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 

 Americas 

 United States............. 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

 Brazil.................... - - - - - 18 12 12 14 17 

 Canada.................... 99 92 88 110 96 84 78 88 95 101 

 Mexico.................... 24 23 12 11 10 11 12 11 11 11 

 Asia and Oceania 

 Australia................. 91 88 64 88 89 73 72 89 102 105 

 Hong Kong SAR (1)......... 12 16 14 22 28 28 27 25 24 24 

 Israel.................... 33 35 29 52 55 58 52 52 53 53 

 Japan..................... 48 57 49 85 137 112 87 91 96 92 

 Korea, Republic of........ 5 10 10 25 42 42 41 44 49 57 

 New Zealand............... 53 56 36 57 60 43 43 53 60 63 

 Singapore................. 13 16 20 25 44 37 31 32 32 32 

 Sri Lanka................. 5 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 - 

 Taiwan.................... 6 11 12 26 35 32 26 26 26 27 

 Europe 

 Austria................... 73 92 60 121 147 97 97 115 125 124 

 Belgium................... 94 122 65 121 149 102 102 120 132 130 

 Czech Republic............ - - - - 15 14 18 21 24 26 

 Denmark................... 101 112 64 124 147 111 114 136 151 150 

 Finland................... 75 86 65 143 142 99 102 122 134 135 

 France.................... 73 92 59 104 112 79 80 95 105 104 

 Germany................... - - - - 175 115 114 134 142 140 

 Greece.................... 27 39 29 46 53 - - - - - 

 Hungary................... - - - - 16 14 18 21 25 26 

 Ireland................... 50 63 47 79 80 65 72 86 96 96 

 Italy..................... 75 84 60 117 91 70 69 82 90 89 

 Luxembourg................ 101 120 59 108 137 89 88 104 116 117 

 Netherlands............... 107 125 69 121 140 98 104 124 135 135 

 Norway.................... 112 123 82 147 145 115 131 147 160 166 

 Poland.................... - - - - - 14 15 16 17 19 

 Portugal.................. 25 21 12 24 30 23 24 28 31 31 

 Spain..................... 41 61 36 76 74 54 56 68 75 75 

 Sweden.................... 116 129 76 140 126 103 95 113 125 121 

 Switzerland............... 98 114 75 139 168 107 111 125 132 129 

 United Kingdom............ 54 78 49 85 80 86 86 96 109 109 

 Trade-weighted measures (2) 

 All foreign economies (3). 62 67 52 80 87 70 65 73 79 80 

 OECD (3,4)................ 67 73 56 85 92 74 70 79 85 86 

 Europe (3)................ 79 99 61 113 123 90 91 107 117 116 

 European Union-15 (5)..... 78 98 60 112 123 91 92 107 118 116 

 Asian NIEs (6)............ 8 12 13 25 39 36 33 34 36 39 

 Dash means data not available. 

 (1) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 

 (2) For a description of trade-weighted measures and economic groups, see the Technical 

 Notes preceding these tables. 

 (3) Data for the Czech Republic for 1975-1994, for Hungary for 1975-1993, and for Poland 

 1975-1996 are not included. 

 (4) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

 (5) European Union-15 refers to European Union member countries prior to the expansion 

 of the European Union to 25 countries on May 1, 2004. 

 (6) The Asian NIEs are Hong Kong SAR, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. 

 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2006. 
 -13- 

 Table 2. Hourly compensation costs in U.S. dollars for production workers in manufacturing, 

 33 countries or areas and selected economic groups, selected years, 1975-2005 

 Country or area 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 

 Americas 

 United States............. 6.16 9.63 12.71 14.81 17.17 19.65 21.33 22.20 22.82 23.65 

 Brazil.................... - - - - - 3.50 2.57 2.74 3.15 4.09 

 Canada.................... 6.11 8.87 11.20 16.33 16.50 16.48 16.72 19.53 21.77 23.82 

 Mexico.................... 1.46 2.20 1.59 1.57 1.70 2.07 2.49 2.44 2.44 2.63 

 Asia and Oceania 

 Australia................. 5.60 8.44 8.18 13.09 15.36 14.40 15.38 19.79 23.38 24.91 

 Hong Kong SAR (1)......... 0.75 1.50 1.73 3.22 4.80 5.45 5.66 5.54 5.51 5.65 

 Israel.................... 2.02 3.41 3.65 7.69 9.41 11.41 11.00 11.62 12.01 12.42 

 Japan..................... 2.97 5.46 6.27 12.59 23.47 21.93 18.60 20.26 21.84 21.76 

 Korea, Republic of........ 0.32 0.95 1.23 3.70 7.28 8.23 8.77 9.69 11.13 13.56 

 New Zealand............... 3.28 5.44 4.55 8.48 10.35 8.38 9.10 11.69 13.65 14.97 

 Singapore................. 0.83 1.53 2.52 3.74 7.57 7.18 6.71 7.18 7.38 7.66 

 Sri Lanka................. 0.28 0.22 0.28 0.35 0.48 0.48 0.49 0.51 0.52 - 

 Taiwan.................... 0.38 1.03 1.51 3.91 5.99 6.19 5.64 5.69 5.98 6.38 

 Europe 

 Austria................... 4.50 8.87 7.57 17.91 25.26 19.14 20.71 25.51 28.53 29.42 

 Belgium................... 5.77 11.74 8.21 17.85 25.67 20.13 21.77 26.55 30.01 30.79 

 Czech Republic............ - - - - 2.63 2.83 3.83 4.72 5.45 6.11 

 Denmark................... 6.24 10.77 8.10 18.35 25.28 21.87 24.31 30.22 34.46 35.47 

 Finland................... 4.63 8.30 8.20 21.15 24.31 19.44 21.78 27.10 30.67 31.93 

 France.................... 4.50 8.90 7.48 15.36 19.26 15.46 17.13 21.14 23.89 24.63 

 Germany................... - - - - 30.10 22.67 24.22 29.64 32.50 33.00 

 Greece.................... 1.69 3.73 3.67 6.82 9.07 - - - - - 

 Hungary................... - - - - 2.69 2.79 3.92 4.76 5.63 6.07 

 Ireland................... 3.06 6.02 6.00 11.77 13.75 12.72 15.26 19.09 21.94 22.76 

 Italy..................... 4.64 8.09 7.56 17.28 15.69 13.84 14.75 18.11 20.48 21.05 

 Luxembourg................ 6.22 11.51 7.48 16.00 23.56 17.51 18.71 23.12 26.57 27.68 

 Netherlands............... 6.58 12.05 8.73 17.98 24.03 19.33 22.12 27.47 30.76 31.81 

 Norway.................... 6.90 11.80 10.47 21.76 24.84 22.56 27.93 32.73 36.41 39.14 

 Poland.................... - - - - - 2.81 3.29 3.52 3.85 4.54 

 Portugal.................. 1.52 1.98 1.46 3.59 5.09 4.49 5.07 6.24 7.02 7.33 

 Spain..................... 2.52 5.86 4.64 11.30 12.70 10.65 11.95 15.01 17.14 17.78 

 Sweden.................... 7.14 12.44 9.61 20.81 21.68 20.18 20.23 25.19 28.42 28.73 

 Switzerland............... 6.03 10.96 9.55 20.63 28.90 20.95 23.77 27.78 30.21 30.50 

 United Kingdom............ 3.35 7.52 6.22 12.61 13.79 16.84 18.36 21.33 24.76 25.66 

 Trade-weighted measures (2) 

 All foreign economies (3). 3.82 6.49 6.61 11.83 14.99 13.66 13.90 16.19 17.95 18.89 

 OECD (3,4)................ 4.13 7.00 7.08 12.62 15.85 14.59 14.92 17.47 19.43 20.43 

 Europe (3)................ 4.87 9.49 7.72 16.80 21.19 17.77 19.48 23.70 26.62 27.33 

 European Union-15 (5)..... 4.80 9.40 7.61 16.58 21.07 17.89 19.53 23.83 26.81 27.52 

 Asian NIEs (6)............ 0.49 1.15 1.62 3.71 6.62 7.06 7.04 7.49 8.16 9.28 

 Dash means data not available. 

 (1) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 

 (2) For a description of trade-weighted measures and economic groups, see the Technical 

 Notes preceding these tables. 

 (3) Data for the Czech Republic for 1975-1994, for Hungary for 1975-1993, and for Poland 

 1975-1996 are not included. 

 (4) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

 (5) European Union-15 refers to European Union member countries prior to the expansion 

 of the European Union to 25 countries on May 1, 2004. 

 (6) The Asian NIEs are Hong Kong SAR, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. 

 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2006. 
 -14- 

 Table 3. Annual percent change in hourly compensation costs in U.S. dollars for production 

 workers in manufacturing, 33 countries or areas and selected economic groups, selected 

 years, 1975-2005 

 Country or area 1975- 1975- 1980- 1985- 1990- 1995- 2000- 2003 2004 2005 

 2005(1) 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 

 Americas 

 United States............. 4.6 9.3 5.7 3.1 3.0 2.7 3.8 4.1 2.8 3.6 

 Brazil.................... - - - - - - 3.2 6.7 14.9 29.9 

 Canada.................... 4.6 7.7 4.8 7.8 .2 .0 7.6 16.8 11.4 9.4 

 Mexico.................... 2.0 8.5 -6.3 -.2 1.5 4.0 4.9 -2.0 .0 7.9 

 Asia and Oceania 

 Australia................. 5.1 8.6 -.6 9.9 3.3 -1.3 11.6 28.7 18.1 6.5 

 Hong Kong SAR (2)......... 6.9 14.8 2.8 13.2 8.3 2.6 .7 -2.2 -.6 2.6 

 Israel.................... 6.2 11.0 1.4 16.1 4.1 3.9 1.7 5.6 3.4 3.5 

 Japan..................... 6.9 13.0 2.8 14.9 13.3 -1.3 -.2 8.9 7.8 -.4 

 Korea, Republic of........ 13.3 24.3 5.2 24.6 14.5 2.5 10.5 10.5 14.9 21.8 

 New Zealand............... 5.2 10.7 -3.5 13.3 4.1 -4.1 12.3 28.5 16.8 9.7 

 Singapore................. 7.7 12.9 10.6 8.2 15.1 -1.0 1.3 7.0 2.8 3.8 

 Sri Lanka................. 2.1 -5.0 5.2 4.7 6.4 .0 - 3.1 1.9 - 

 Taiwan.................... 9.8 21.8 8.0 21.0 8.9 .7 .6 1.0 4.9 6.8 

 Europe 

 Austria................... 6.5 14.5 -3.1 18.8 7.1 -5.4 9.0 23.2 11.8 3.1 

 Belgium................... 5.7 15.3 -6.9 16.8 7.5 -4.7 8.9 21.9 13.1 2.6 

 Czech Republic............ - - - - - 1.5 16.6 23.3 15.4 12.1 

 Denmark................... 6.0 11.5 -5.5 17.8 6.6 -2.8 10.1 24.3 14.0 2.9 

 Finland................... 6.6 12.4 -.2 20.9 2.8 -4.4 10.4 24.4 13.2 4.1 

 France.................... 5.8 14.6 -3.4 15.5 4.6 -4.3 9.8 23.5 13.0 3.1 

 Germany................... - - - - - -5.5 7.8 22.4 9.7 1.5 

 Greece.................... 7.4 17.2 -.3 13.2 5.9 - - - - - 

 Hungary................... - - - - - .8 16.8 21.3 18.3 7.8 

 Ireland................... 6.9 14.5 -.1 14.4 3.2 -1.5 12.3 25.1 14.9 3.7 

 Italy..................... 5.2 11.8 -1.3 18.0 -1.9 -2.5 8.7 22.8 13.1 2.8 

 Luxembourg................ 5.1 13.1 -8.3 16.4 8.0 -5.8 9.6 23.6 14.9 4.2 

 Netherlands............... 5.4 12.9 -6.2 15.6 6.0 -4.3 10.5 24.2 12.0 3.4 

 Norway.................... 6.0 11.3 -2.4 15.8 2.7 -1.9 11.7 17.2 11.2 7.5 

 Poland.................... - - - - - - 10.1 6.9 9.3 17.9 

 Portugal.................. 5.4 5.4 -5.8 19.7 7.3 -2.5 10.3 23.1 12.6 4.5 

 Spain..................... 6.7 18.4 -4.6 19.5 2.4 -3.5 10.8 25.6 14.2 3.8 

 Sweden.................... 4.8 11.7 -5.0 16.7 .8 -1.4 7.3 24.5 12.8 1.1 

 Switzerland............... 5.6 12.7 -2.7 16.7 7.0 -6.2 7.8 16.9 8.7 1.0 

 United Kingdom............ 7.0 17.5 -3.7 15.2 1.8 4.1 8.8 16.2 16.1 3.6 

 Trade-weighted measures (3) 

 All foreign economies (4). 5.7 12.1 .2 11.6 4.9 -.1 6.3 12.9 9.0 6.1 

 OECD (4,5)................ 5.4 11.7 -.4 11.3 4.4 -.3 6.8 13.9 9.6 6.2 

 Europe (4)................ 6.1 14.5 -3.8 16.7 4.5 -2.7 9.1 21.7 12.6 2.8 

 European Union-15 (6)..... 6.1 14.6 -3.9 16.7 4.4 -2.6 9.1 22.0 12.8 2.8 

 Asian NIEs (7)............ 10.4 20.2 6.7 19.0 12.1 1.3 4.6 5.3 7.6 11.5 

 Rates of change based on compound rate method. 

 Dash means data not available. 

 (1) 1975-2004 for Sri Lanka. 1975-1998 for Greece. 

 (2) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 

 (3) Trade-weighted percent changes computed as the trade-weighted average of the rates 

 of change for the individual countries or areas. For description of trade-weighted 

 measures and economic groups, see the Technical Notes preceding these tables. 

 (4) Data for the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland are not included for 1975-2004, 

 1975-1980, 1980-1985, 1985-1990, and 1990-1995. Data for Poland also are not included 

 for 1995-2000. 

 (5) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

 (6) European Union-15 refers to European Union member countries prior to the expansion 

 of the European Union to 25 countries on May 1, 2004. 

 (7) The Asian NIEs are Hong Kong SAR, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. 

 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2006. 
 -15- 

 Table 4. Annual percent change in hourly compensation costs in national currency for 

 production workers in manufacturing, 33 countries or areas and selected economic groups, 

 selected years, 1975-2005 

 Country or area 1975- 1975- 1980- 1985- 1990- 1995- 2000- 2003 2004 2005 

 2005(1) 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 

 Americas 

 United States............. 4.6 9.3 5.7 3.1 3.0 2.7 3.8 4.1 2.8 3.6 

 Brazil.................... - - - - - - 9.2 12.3 9.3 8.1 

 Canada.................... 5.3 10.8 8.1 4.5 3.5 1.6 3.3 4.2 3.6 1.9 

 Mexico.................... 27.8 22.5 51.8 61.1 19.7 12.4 7.9 9.4 4.6 4.1 

 Asia and Oceania 

 Australia................. 7.0 11.6 9.6 7.5 4.3 3.6 5.7 7.2 4.6 2.9 

 Hong Kong SAR (2)......... 8.6 14.9 12.5 13.2 8.2 2.7 .7 -2.3 -.6 2.4 

 Israel.................... 42.7 68.3 200.9 29.2 12.8 10.4 3.7 1.5 1.7 3.6 

 Japan..................... 3.4 7.0 3.9 4.1 3.8 1.4 .3 .8 .6 1.4 

 Korea, Republic of........ 16.1 30.0 13.1 19.6 16.5 10.6 8.3 5.4 10.3 8.9 

 New Zealand............... 7.1 15.6 10.3 9.2 2.1 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.3 3.4 

 Singapore................. 6.4 10.6 11.2 4.1 9.6 2.9 .6 4.1 -.3 2.2 

 Sri Lanka................. 12.0 12.7 16.2 13.1 11.7 8.5 - 4.0 6.8 - 

 Taiwan.................... 9.2 20.5 10.2 11.8 8.5 4.1 1.2 .6 1.8 2.8 

 Europe 

 Austria................... 4.9 7.9 6.4 5.3 4.6 2.3 2.7 2.9 1.8 3.0 

 Belgium................... 5.3 10.1 7.3 4.1 4.9 3.1 2.6 1.8 2.9 2.5 

 Czech Republic............ - - - - - 9.4 6.0 6.2 5.2 4.5 

 Denmark................... 6.1 11.1 7.2 5.8 4.5 4.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.0 

 Finland................... 7.6 12.7 10.5 9.8 5.6 3.3 4.0 3.9 3.0 4.0 

 France.................... 6.6 14.3 12.3 4.5 2.8 2.7 3.4 3.1 2.9 3.0 

 Germany................... - - - - - 2.2 1.5 2.2 -.2 1.4 

 Greece.................... 18.3 23.9 26.1 16.4 14.2 - - - - - 

 Hungary................... - - - - - 18.5 9.0 5.5 7.0 6.2 

 Ireland................... 8.1 16.2 14.0 4.8 3.8 4.8 5.8 4.5 4.6 3.6 

 Italy..................... 8.3 18.0 15.8 7.5 4.3 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.9 2.7 

 Luxembourg................ 4.7 8.0 5.7 3.8 5.4 2.0 3.2 3.2 4.6 4.1 

 Netherlands............... 4.2 7.6 3.9 2.5 3.3 3.7 4.1 3.7 1.9 3.3 

 Norway.................... 6.7 10.1 9.1 8.6 3.0 4.8 4.9 3.9 5.9 2.7 

 Poland.................... - - - - - - 3.7 1.9 2.8 4.3 

 Portugal.................. 12.1 20.7 20.5 15.3 8.3 5.0 3.9 2.8 2.5 4.4 

 Spain..................... 9.8 23.8 13.4 7.9 6.6 3.9 4.4 4.8 3.9 3.7 

 Sweden.................... 6.8 12.2 9.5 8.3 4.7 3.6 3.0 3.5 2.6 2.8 

 Switzerland............... 3.0 3.4 5.0 4.1 3.5 .7 1.4 1.0 .5 1.2 

 United Kingdom............ 7.7 16.5 8.2 8.1 4.3 4.9 4.9 6.7 3.5 4.3 

 Trade-weighted measures (3) 

 All foreign economies (4). 10.2 15.0 18.4 15.6 7.6 3.7 3.8 4.3 3.1 2.9 

 OECD (4,5)................ 9.8 14.0 15.9 15.8 7.5 3.6 4.0 4.6 3.3 2.9 

 Europe (4)................ 5.7 12.4 8.8 5.8 4.4 .3 3.3 3.6 2.3 2.9 

 European Union-15 (6)..... 5.8 12.8 9.0 5.8 4.5 .2 3.4 3.7 2.4 3.0 

 Asian NIEs (7)............ 11.3 21.6 11.8 13.6 11.8 6.2 3.7 2.7 4.4 5.0 

 Rates of change based on compound rate method. 

 Dash means data not available. 

 (1) 1975-2004 for Sri Lanka. 1975-1998 for Greece. 

 (2) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 

 (3) Trade-weighted percent changes computed as the trade-weighted average of the rates 

 of change for the individual countries or areas. For description of trade-weighted 

 measures and economic groups, see the Technical Notes preceding these tables. 

 (4) Data for the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland are not included for 1975-2004, 

 1975-1980, 1980-1985, 1985-1990, and 1990-1995. Data for Poland also are not included 

 for 1995-2000. 

 (5) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

 (6) European Union-15 refers to European Union member countries prior to the expansion 

 of the European Union to 25 countries on May 1, 2004. 

 (7) The Asian NIEs are Hong Kong SAR, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. 

 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2006. 
 -16- 

 Table 5. Annual percent change in exchange rates (U.S. dollars per national currency 

 unit), 33 countries or areas and selected economic groups, selected years, 1975-2005 

 Country or area 1975- 1975- 1980- 1985- 1990- 1995- 2000- 2003 2004 2005 

 2005(1) 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 

 Americas 

 United States............. - - - - - - - - - - 

 Brazil.................... - - - - - - -5.6 -5.0 5.1 20.2 

 Canada.................... -.6 -2.7 -3.1 3.2 -3.2 -1.6 4.2 12.1 7.6 7.4 

 Mexico.................... -20.2 -11.5 -38.3 -38.0 -15.2 -7.5 -2.8 -10.5 -4.4 3.7 

 Asia and Oceania 

 Australia................. -1.8 -2.7 -9.3 2.2 -1.0 -4.7 5.6 20.0 12.9 3.6 

 Hong Kong SAR (2)......... -1.5 -.1 -8.6 .0 .1 -.1 .0 .2 .0 .1 

 Israel.................... -25.6 -34.1 -66.3 -10.2 -7.7 -5.9 -1.9 4.0 1.6 -.1 

 Japan..................... 3.4 5.6 -1.1 10.5 9.1 -2.7 -.4 8.0 7.1 -1.7 

 Korea, Republic of........ -2.5 -4.4 -6.9 4.2 -1.7 -7.4 2.0 4.9 4.1 11.8 

 New Zealand............... -1.8 -4.3 -12.6 3.7 1.9 -7.0 9.1 25.3 14.2 6.1 

 Singapore................. 1.2 2.1 -.5 3.9 5.1 -3.9 .7 2.8 3.1 1.6 

 Sri Lanka................. -8.8 -15.7 -9.5 -7.5 -4.8 -7.8 - -.9 -4.6 - 

 Taiwan.................... .6 1.1 -2.0 8.2 .3 -3.2 -.5 .4 3.1 3.9 

 Europe 

 Austria................... 1.5 6.1 -9.0 12.8 2.4 -7.5 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Belgium................... .4 4.7 -13.2 12.2 2.5 -7.6 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Czech Republic............ - - - - - -7.2 10.0 16.1 9.8 7.3 

 Denmark................... -.1 .4 -11.9 11.4 2.0 -7.1 6.2 19.9 9.8 -.1 

 Finland................... -.9 -.3 -9.7 10.1 -2.6 -7.4 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 France.................... -.7 .3 -14.0 10.5 1.8 -6.8 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Germany................... - - - - - -7.5 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Greece.................... -9.2 -5.4 -21.0 -2.7 -7.3 - - - - - 

 Hungary................... - - - - - -14.9 7.2 15.0 10.6 1.6 

 Ireland................... -1.1 -1.5 -12.3 9.2 -.7 -6.1 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Italy..................... -2.9 -5.3 -14.8 9.8 -6.0 -4.9 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Luxembourg................ .4 4.7 -13.2 12.2 2.5 -7.6 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Netherlands............... 1.2 4.9 -9.8 12.7 2.6 -7.6 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Norway.................... -.7 1.1 -10.5 6.6 -.3 -6.4 6.5 12.8 5.0 4.6 

 Poland.................... - - - - - - 6.1 4.9 6.3 13.0 

 Portugal.................. -6.0 -12.7 -21.9 3.8 -1.0 -7.1 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Spain..................... -2.8 -4.3 -15.9 10.8 -3.9 -7.1 6.2 19.8 9.9 .1 

 Sweden.................... -1.9 -.4 -13.2 7.8 -3.7 -4.9 4.2 20.3 10.0 -1.6 

 Switzerland............... 2.5 9.0 -7.4 12.0 3.3 -6.9 6.3 15.8 8.2 -.2 

 United Kingdom............ -.7 .9 -11.0 6.6 -2.4 -.8 3.7 8.9 12.1 -.6 

 Trade-weighted measures (3) 

 All foreign economies (4). -3.4 -2.0 -12.4 -.4 -2.2 -3.5 2.4 8.4 5.8 3.1 

 OECD (4,5)................ -3.4 -1.7 -12.2 -.7 -2.5 -3.5 2.7 9.1 6.1 3.2 

 Europe (4)................ .4 2.0 -11.6 10.4 .1 -2.7 5.6 17.6 10.0 -.1 

 European Union-15 (6)..... .3 1.7 -11.8 10.3 -.1 -2.5 5.6 17.7 10.1 -.1 

 Asian NIEs (7)............ -.8 -1.0 -4.5 4.8 .4 -4.5 .7 2.5 3.1 6.0 

 Rates of change based on compound rate method. 

 Dash means data not available. 

 (1) 1975-2004 for Sri Lanka. 1975-1998 for Greece. 

 (2) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 

 (3) Trade-weighted percent changes computed as the trade-weighted average of the rates 

 of change for the individual countries or areas. For description of trade-weighted 

 measures and economic groups, see the Technical Notes preceding these tables. 

 (4) Data for the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland are not included for 1975-2004, 

 1975-1980, 1980-1985, 1985-1990, and 1990-1995. Data for Poland also are not included 

 for 1995-2000. 

 (5) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

 (6) European Union-15 refers to European Union member countries prior to the expansion 

 of the European Union to 25 countries on May 1, 2004. 

 (7) The Asian NIEs are Hong Kong SAR, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. 

 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2006. 
 -17- 

 Table 6. Hourly compensation costs in national currency units and exchange rates, 33 

 countries or areas, 2005 

 Country or area Compensation costs Exchange Rates 

 Americas 

 United States............. 23.65 .. 

 Brazil.................... 9.97 2.435 

 Canada.................... 28.87 1.212 

 Mexico.................... 28.67 10.89 

 Asia and Oceania 

 Australia................. 32.65 1.311 

 Hong Kong SAR (1)......... 43.94 7.778 

 Israel.................... 55.76 4.488 

 Japan..................... 2395 110.1 

 Korea, Republic of........ 13881 1024 

 New Zealand............... 21.24 1.419 

 Singapore................. 12.74 1.664 

 Sri Lanka................. - - 

 Taiwan.................... 205.0 32.13 

 Europe 

 Austria................... 23.63 .8033 

 Belgium................... 24.74 .8033 

 Czech Republic............ 146.4 23.96 

 Denmark................... 212.6 5.995 

 Finland................... 25.65 .8033 

 France.................... 19.78 .8033 

 Germany................... 26.51 .8033 

 Greece.................... - - 

 Hungary................... 1212 199.6 

 Ireland................... 18.28 .8033 

 Italy..................... 16.91 .8033 

 Luxembourg................ 22.23 .8033 

 Netherlands............... 25.55 .8033 

 Norway.................... 252.1 6.441 

 Poland.................... 14.68 3.236 

 Portugal.................. 5.89 .8033 

 Spain..................... 14.29 .8033 

 Sweden.................... 214.6 7.471 

 Switzerland............... 38.00 1.246 

 United Kingdom............ 14.09 .5490 

 Dash means data not available. 

 (1) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 

 National currency units are: United States, dollar; Brazil, real; 

 Canada, dollar; Mexico, peso; Australia, dollar; Hong Kong, dollar; 

 Israel, new shekel; Japan, yen; Republic of Korea, won; New Zealand, dollar; 

 Singapore, dollar; Sri Lanka, rupee; Taiwan, dollar; Austria, euro; 

 Belgium, euro; Czech Republic, koruna; Denmark, krone; Finland, euro; 

 France, euro; Germany, euro; Greece, euro; Hungary, forint; Ireland, euro; 

 Italy, euro; Luxembourg, euro; Netherlands, euro; Norway, krone; 

 Poland, zloty; Portugal, euro; Spain, euro; Sweden, krona; Switzerland, franc; 

 United Kingdom, pound. 

 Note: For data for all years 1975-2005, see the supplementary tables to this 

 news release at http://www.bls.gov/fls. 

 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2006.