OREANDA-NEWS. Hourly labour costs rose by 1.6% in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.9% in the EU28 in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the same quarter of the previous year. In the first quarter of 2015, hourly labour costs increased by 1.9% in the euro area and by 2.3% in the EU28. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.