Labor costs in Germany have risen more rapidly in recent years than productivity, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Wednesday. The cost to companies for benefits and other non-wage expenses averaged 43,700 euros ($43,400) per full-time employee in the manufacturing, banking, insurance and retail sectors, the agency said. Non-wage expenses have increased by 7.1 percent since the Statistical Office last surveyed companies in 1996. However, during the same period, productivity grew by only 6 percent.