Wages and salaries in the Euro Area increased 3.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, following a 3.1% rise in the last three months of 2025. The largest annual wage gains were seen in mining and quarrying (5.7% vs -1.5%), real estate (4.8% vs 4.5%), construction (44% vs 3.8%), and education (4.4% vs 4.5%). Wages in manufacturing also accelerated (3.6% vs 2.6%). Among the bloc's largest economies, wages rose faster in Germany (3.4% vs 2.7%), France (1.8% vs 1.4%), Italy (2.8% vs 2.2%), and Spain (5.1% vs 3.8%) but slowed in Netherlands (3.2% vs 4.5%).