pre_text: Relative importance of the spend on pay The following table shows the Group’s actual spend on pay for all employees compared to distributions to shareholders. The average number of employees has also been included for context. Revenue and Operating profit have also been disclosed as these are two key measures of Group performance. 1 2018 comparatives have been restated to reflect the adoption of IFRS 9, IFRS 15 and IFRS 16, and to include share buybacks.
table: 2019 Restated 2018
table: £m £m % change
table: Employee costs (see note 7 to the consolidated financial statements) 56.0 54.5 3%
table: Average number of employees (see note 6 to the consolidated financial statements) 802 822 3%
table: Revenue (see Consolidated income statement) 355.1 330.1 8%
table: Operating profit 243.7 221.3 10%
table: Dividends paid and proposed and share buybacks (see notes 26 and 27 to the consolidated financial statements) 156.4 152.8¹ 2%
question: Analyse this data from a financial earnings document. What was the change in employee costs in 2019 from 2018?