Table 1. Indexes of hourly compensation costs (United States = 100)

Table 1. Indexes of hourly compensation costs for production workers in 
manufacturing, 29 countries or areas and selected economic groups,
selected years, 1975-97
(Index, United States = 100)
______________________________________________________________________________


Country or area           1975  1980  1985  1990  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997
______________________________________________________________________________


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

Canada .................    94    88    84   106   100    94    93    94    91

Mexico .................    23    22    12    11    15    15     9     9    10


Australia ..............    88    86    63    88    76    83    88    93    88

Hong Kong SAR 1 ........    12    15    13    21    26    27    28    29    30

Israel .................    35    38    31    57    53    54    61    62    66

Japan ..................    47    56    49    86   116   127   139   118   106


Korea ..................     5    10     9    25    34    38    42    46    40

New Zealand ............    50    54    34    56    49    53    59    62    60

Singapore ..............    13    15    19    25    32    37    43    47    45

Sri Lanka ..............     4     2     2     2     3     3     3     3     -

Taiwan .................     6    10    12    26    32    33    34    34    32


Austria ................    71    90    58   119   122   128   147   139   120

Belgium ................   101   133    69   129   130   137   155   146   125

Denmark ................    99   110    62   121   116   120   140   136   121

Finland ................    72    83    63   141   101   113   140   133   118


France .................    71    91    58   104   102   105   116   113    99

Germany 2 ..............    99   124    73   147   153   160   187   180   155

Greece .................    27    38    28    45    44    46    53    54     -

Ireland ................    48    60    46    78    72    73    79    78    74


Italy ..................    73    83    59   117    96    94    94   100    92

Luxembourg .............   102   122    60   112   114   121   136   127     -

Netherlands ............   103   122    67   121   122   123   140   130   113

Norway .................   106   117    80   144   122   124   142   142   130


Portugal ...............    25    21    12    25    27    27    31    32    29

Spain ..................    40    60    36    76    70    68    75    76    67

Sweden .................   113   127    74   140   107   110   125   138   122

Switzerland ............    96   112    74   140   137   148   170   160   133

United Kingdom .........    53    77    48    85    75    76    80    80    85


Trade-weighted measures 3

All 28 foreign economies .. 60    67    52    83    87    89    95    91    84

OECD 4 .................... 67    74    57    90    94    96   103    98    90

  less Mexico, Korea 5 .... 76    84    65   104   108   110   119   112   103

Europe .................... 80   100    61   116   111   115   129   125   112

European Union ............ 79   100    60   115   110   113   127   124   111

Asian NIEs ................  8    12    13    25    31    34    37    39    36

______________________________________________________________________________



Dash means data not available.

1  Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
2  Former West Germany. 
3  For description of trade-weighted measures and economic groups, see
   the Technical Notes preceding these tables.
4  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
5  Mexico joined the OECD in 1994, and Korea joined in 1996.

Source:  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 1998.

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