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ECB wage tracker shows stable wage growth ahead

By Thomson Reuters May 6, 2026 | 3:23 AM

FRANKFURT, May 6 (Reuters) – Euro zone negotiated wage growth trends ​are largely unchanged ‌since the start of the Iran war, the European Central Bank’s ‌wage ​tracker showed ⁠on Wednesday, offering ⁠policymakers who fear runaway inflation some mild comfort.

Negotiated wage growth ​with smoothed and unsmoothed one-off payments ⁠both indicated ⁠2.6% growth in ​2026, unchanged from the ​last projection in late ‌March, the ECB said, based on data collected up to ⁠the middle of April.

Wage developments are now closely scrutinized ⁠as ‌surging energy ⁠prices push up ​inflation ‌and large-scale demands ​for worker ⁠compensation could set off a hard-to-break wage-price spiral.

(Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Andrew ​Heavens)