Inflation remains at 3.2 percent: which products have become (significantly) more expensive? And what about our wages?

Inflation remains at 3.2 percent: which products have become (significantly) more expensive? And what about our wages? | Money

Inflation – the figure that indicates how quickly prices are rising – remained virtually stable at 3.2% in March. This is evident from figures from statistics agency Statbel. What cost 100 euros last year now costs a whopping 103 euros. See below to see what has become cheaper and more expensive.

Life is 3.2% more expensive than a year ago. Last month it was also exactly 3.2%. “There is both good and bad news,” says our money expert Stijn Baert (UGent). “The good news is that inflation is not continuing to rise, as was the case in the previous five months. The bad news is that inflation is (again) higher than the 2.8% that the Planning Bureau expected for this month.”

In our country we are already well over the 2% standard. “However, the Planning Bureau expected a dip in March, heading towards 4% between April and June. The question is: are we just a little ahead of schedule, or is inflation less under control than expected?” said Baert.

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But where does this “sudden increase” come from? “Many economists point to so-called second-round effects. This concerns the aftermath of the energy and inflation crisis,” says Baert. “In other countries, for example, wages have recently been adjusted, and that extra cost is now passed on to the (foreign) products we buy.”

What became more expensive and cheaper?

Including tobacco (+14.4%), household help (+11%), electronics repairs (+10%), veterinarians (+14%) and newspapers and magazines (+14%) more expensive. The prices of pasta (-5.6%), computers (-8.1%), milk (-12.2%) and electricity (-14.9%) are strong decreased compared to March last year.

How much will our wages increase?

The central index – which determines whether government benefits and wages will increase – has just not been exceeded. Government wages and benefits will therefore not increase for the time being. “There is a very good chance that this will be the case next month,” says Baert. In sectors that regularly index, a 1 to 1.5% wage increase is realistic.