ITALIAN WAGES INCREASE 2.5% IN JUNE, SPENDING POWER EDGES UP

ITALIAN WAGES INCREASE 2.5% IN JUNE, SPENDING POWER EDGES UP

(ANSA) - Rome, July 29 - Hourly wages for Italian workers with regular labour contracts were 2.5% higher in June than in the same month last year, national statistics agency Istat said Thursday.

Istat added that inflation in June was 1.3%, which suggests employees benefited from a modest increase in their spending power.

The agency said hourly pay was up 0.1% last month compared to May and it increased 2.3% in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2009.