Eurostat measures labour's value as value added per employee.
Top sectors: financial services (~€191k), real estate (€102k), ICT (€93k), manufacturing (€81k), against a €63k market average. Within manufacturing alone it ranges from €30k (apparel) to €484k (refining).
This doesn't measure human effort alone. Capital-intensive sectors top the rankings because each worker is backed by massive capital, and value added includes its return. Real estate is further inflated by imputed rent (the notional rent of homeowners).
To see where labour is actually paid well, use the wage-adjusted ratio (value added / personnel cost): very high in energy (387%), finance (244%) and real estate (242%).
Bottom line: ICT, finance, energy, pharma, chemicals and specialized professional services.
