Measuring Labour Cost: Istat and Supranational Statistical Institutions in 1950s and 1960s Italy

Labour cost amounts to the total expense borne by the employer per unit of labour, including wages as well as indirect costs such as taxes and social security contributions. The issue of labour cost became a key element of public policy in the latter half of the 20th century, as shown by the efforts of statisticians and economic policymakers to define and measure it. Only from the 1950s did a clear definition of labour cost emerge at the international and European levels, as well as in Italy. European economic cooperation, the opportunities offered by the common market, and the development of welfare systems determined a growing awareness of wages and the labour cost, both economically and statistically. This paper provides an overview of the conditions for producing and disseminating data on labour cost in Italy in the 1950s, when the country was approaching the “economic boom”, and the 1960s, when wage growth and social spending emerged. Sources include Istat publications and archival documents, along with a selection of other official European and international statistical publications.

Keywords: labour cost, wages, Istat, European Economic Community, Italy, Confindustria

Manfredi Alberti, Misurare il costo del lavoro. L’Istat e le istituzioni statistiche sovranazionali nell’Italia degli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta in "ITALIA CONTEMPORANEA" 310/2026, pp 17-35, DOI: 10.3280/IC2026-310002