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Adopted text

European Union labour market statistics on businesses

TA-9-2024-0356 · P9_TA(2024)0356 · PE757.907

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Parliament's amended version of the proposed regulation establishes a common legal framework for EU labour market statistics on businesses, covering earnings, labour costs and job vacancies. It sets out data requirements, sources, quality standards, and provisions for early estimates, ad hoc data, feasibility studies, financing, and delegated acts. The regulation repeals three earlier regulations and applies from 1 January 2026.

Key points

  1. Member States must compile statistics using survey data, administrative records, or other sources, provided they meet quality standards.
  2. The Commission may adopt delegated acts specifying which other sources may be used, ensuring necessity and proportionality.
  3. Personal data processing must comply with EU data protection rules and be aggregated so individuals cannot be identified.
  4. Statistics cover domains: earnings (structure, gender pay gap, collective bargaining coverage, minimum wage), labour costs (structure, index), and job vacancies.
  5. Data must be transmitted as aggregated data, except for structure of earnings, which requires microdata for individual employees and local units.
  6. Early estimates for labour cost index and job vacancies are required from Member States with over 3% of EU or euro area employees.
  7. Statistical populations are defined for each topic, with exclusions for agriculture, households, and extraterritorial organisations; separate data for social enterprises must be provided.
  8. Ad hoc data collections may be required from reference year 2028, with at least two years between collections.
  9. Member States must ensure data quality and transmit quality reports; the Commission may conduct feasibility and pilot studies.
  10. Union financial contributions may cover up to 80% of eligible costs for improving sources and methods, but not regular compilation.
  11. Derogations may be granted for up to one year if major changes to national statistical systems are needed.

Who is affected

  • National statistical authorities in EU member states, which must collect and transmit the statistics.
  • Enterprises, including social enterprises, SMEs and micro-enterprises, which may face reduced burden through use of administrative sources.
  • Employees, whose data on earnings and job characteristics are collected.

Figures and deadlines

  • 3% of EU or euro area total employees threshold for early estimates.
  • 1 January 2026: date of application of the regulation.
  • 80%: maximum Union financial contribution to eligible costs.
  • 1 year: maximum duration of derogations.
  • 5 years: duration of delegation of power to adopt delegated acts.
  • 3 months: period for objection to delegated acts.

Legal basis: Article 338(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union