The labor force has become more expensive in Romania, a country which was once the target of companies looking for cheap workforce. At least this is what statistics show.  The hourly cost of the labor force in the country went up by 4.2 percent in the second quarter of the year, compared to the first. This was triggered by salary increases in production and energy supply, mining industry, water distribution and in sanitation, according to data issued by the country's Statistics Institute.

The increase in salaries was of 4.17 percent quarter-on-quarter, while the increase in other benefits, non-salary, was of 4.32 percent. The statistics do  not give the actual hourly cost of the labor force in Romania, which depends on industry.

The average monthly salary in Romania was of RON 1,407 in 2010 (the equivalent of EUR 334).

editor@romania-insider.com