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# Employment Cost Trends FONT SIZE: PRINT: ECT National Compensation Survey - Employment Cost Trends produces quarterly indexes measuring change over time in labor costs (ECI) and quarterly data measuring level of average costs per hour worked (ECEC).



### Announcement The originally published estimates for the Employment Cost Index data for June 2009 through September 2010 were found to contain errors and have been corrected. The primary errors were in wage and salary data for State and local government public administration. Additional series were subject to correction as well. More Info »
New seasonal factors for 2011, along with revised seasonally adjusted indexes for the past five years will be available Wednesday, April 27, 2011. More Info »



### On This Page ECT News Releases ECT Databases - Employment Cost Trends Statistics ECT Tables Contract Escalation ECT Publications and Other Documentation ECT FAQs ECT Special Notice ECT Related Links Contact ECT



### Employment Cost Index (ECI) January 28, 2011 Civilian workers compensation, wages and salaries, and benefit costs all rose 0.4 percent, seasonally adjusted, from September to December 2010. Over the year, compensation rose 2.0 percent, wages and salaries 1.6 percent, and benefits 2.9 percent. More... ( HTML) ( PDF ) 

### Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) March 09, 2011 Private industry employers spent an average of $27.75 per hour worked for employee compensation in December 2010. Private industry costs averaged $1.89 per hour worked for paid leave benefits and $2.28 for legally required benefits. More... ( HTML) ( PDF ) CIVILIAN WORKERS, COMPENSATION 3-Month % Change (SA) 0.4% in 4th Qtr of 2010 12-Month % Change (NSA) 2.0% in 4th Qtr of 2010
PRIVATE INDUSTRY, COMPENSATION 3-Month % Change (SA) 0.4% in 4th Qtr of 2010 12-Month % Change (NSA) 2.1% in 4th Qtr of 2010
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, COMPENSATION 3-Month % Change (SA) 0.6% in 4th Qtr of 2010 12-Month % Change (NSA) 1.8% in 4th Qtr of 2010

Historical Data News Release SA - Seasonally Adjusted NSA - Not Seasonally Adjusted p - preliminary

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### 3/14/2011 Employment Cost Trends Home Page

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## Current ECT News Releases Employment Cost Index (ECI) ( HTML) ( PDF ) ECI Archives - Complete set of ECI news releases from 1976.
Employer Costs for Employee Compensation ( HTML) ( PDF ) ECEC Archives - Complete set of ECEC news releases from 1986.

Subscribe to the BLS News Service — receive the Employment Cost Index news release by e-mail ECI Regional News Releases



## Databases Database Name Special

Notice Top

Picks One

Screen MultiScreen Tables Text Files Tutorials: For help, try these tutorials 

### Pay & Cost of Benefits
Employment Cost Index
Employer Cost for Employee Compensation



### More Tools Series Report —Already know the series identifier for the statistic you want? Use this shortcut to retrieve your data.
Flat files (FTP) —For those who want it all. Download a flat file of the entire database or large subset of the database. Employment Cost Index (ECI) NAICS basis
Employer Cost for Employee Compensation (ECEC) 2004 forward (NAICS basis)
Compensation Cost Trends Search --allows you to search through all the Employment Cost Index and Employer Costs for Employee Compensation publications that are currently available electronically.

All ECT Databases » Economic New s Release email

ECT Databases 

### 3/14/2011 Employment Cost Trends Home Page

http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/home.htm 2/6ECI Current-Dollar Historical Listings NAICS basis (TXT ) ( PDF ) SIC basis (TXT ) ( PDF )
ECI Constant-Dollar Historical Listings NAICS basis (TXT ) ( PDF ) SIC basis (TXT ) ( PDF )
ECI Historical Listings - Continuous Occupational and Industry Series, September 1975 - Present (TXT ) ( PDF ) ECI Health Insurance, private industry ( PDF ) ECI Standard Errors UPDATED ECEC Historical Listing, 2004 to present (Quarterly)-Employer Costs for Employee Compensation ( TXT ) ( PDF ) -- Quarterly estimates from March 2004 to the present, with sample establishments classified by industry categories based on the new 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. UPDATED ECEC Supplemental Tables Historical Data, December 2006 – December 2010 (TXT ) ( PDF ) UPDATED ECEC Relative Standard Errors (TXT ) ( PDF ) ECEC Relative Standard Errors -- Supplementary Tables ( TXT ) ( PDF ) NEW ECEC Supplemental Tables - December 2010 (TXT ) ( PDF ) -- supplemental tables with series for private industry workers by occupational group, establishment size, and bargaining status in 14 detailed industries. ECEC Historical Listing, 2002-2003 (Quarterly)—Employer Costs for Employee Compensation ( TXT ) ( PDF ) -- Quarterly estimates from March 2002 to December 2003, with sample establishments classified by industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industry Classification (SIC) system and by occupational classifications according to the 1990 Census of Population. ECEC Historical Listing, 1986-2001 (Annual)—Employer Costs for Employee Compensation ( TXT ) ( PDF ) -- Annual estimates from March 1986 to March 2001, with sample establishments classified by industry categories based on the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) system and by occupational classifications according to the Census of Population. Seasonal Factors and Revised Seasonally Adjusted Indexes Chart—Changes in wages and salaries and benefit costs, civilian workers

The Employment Cost Index (ECI) is increasingly being used by business organizations as an escalator to adjust long-term sales and purchasing contracts, and to adjust wage rates in collective bargaining agreements. A web page explaining how to use the ECI for escalating contracts is available. ECT Tables

Contract Escalation 

### 3/14/2011 Employment Cost Trends Home Page

http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/home.htm 3/6Employment Cost Indexes, 1975-99 ( PDF 567K) Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, 1986-99 ( PDF 719K) The Employment Cost Index and the Impact on Medicare Reimbursements ( PDF ) Related Articles Compensation and Working Condition (CWC) Online Monthly Labor Review (MLR) Online Archives
All NCS Publications (including benefits, compensation costs, and wages) »



## People Are Asking... 1. Is the ECI adjusted for inflation ? 2. What is the Employment Cost index for individual occupations in the U.S. ? 3. How can I get annualized ECI data ? 4. What's the average raise ? 

## Frequently Asked Questions 1. How do I calculate the percent change between two time periods? 2. What impact can incentive paid workers have on the ECI? 3. Once I have identified the series I want to use, how should I reference it to make sure it will not be confused with another series? 4. Where can I get wage determinations data? 5. Where can I obtain information on minimum wage and overtime laws and regulations? 6. Where can I find Employment Cost Index (wages & salaries and benefits) historical data? 7. How often are the ECI and ECEC published? 8. Does BLS interpret or forecast data on ECI and ECEC? 9. Is there a survey which shows compensation and benefits as a part of compensation? 10. Do you have breakdowns of the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation by state? 11. Does the Employment Cost Index include stock options? All ECT FAQs »

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## Related Links to Other BLS Programs National Compensation Survey —provides comprehensive measures of occupational earnings; compensation cost trends; and benefit incidence and detail plan ECT Publications

ECT Frequently Asked Questions

ECT Special Notice

ECT Related Links 

### 3/14/2011 Employment Cost Trends Home Page

http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/home.htm 4/6provisions. Wages—provides data on occupational wages for localities, broad geographic regions, and the nation.. Benefits—comprehensive data on incidence and provisions of selected employee benefit plans. Consumer Price Indexes—provides monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services. Producer Price Indexes—provides monthly data on changes in the selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services. Occupational Employment Statistics —data on employment and wages for over 800 occupations and for about 400 nonfarm industries for the nation, plus occupational data for States and metropolitan areas. Occupational Outlook Handbook —provides data for 250 occupations, by nature of the work, working conditions, employment, job outlook and earnings, related occupations, sources of additional information, and training, other qualifications, and advancement.


## Other Useful Links Employment Standards Administration —administers a variety of programs protecting the basic rights of workers, including minimum wage and hour standards, and equal employment opportunity. Employee Benefit Research Institute —offers a detailed description of private- and public-sector employee benefit programs as they exist today.



## Contacts The Office of Compensation Levels and Trends, Branch of Survey Information and Publications, will be glad to assist you with questions about any of the components of the National Compensation Survey. Ways to Contact BLS Directly Email: Contact us Telephone: (202) 691-6199 (Monday - Friday, 8:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.) Question-by-FAX: (202) 691-6647 Information and assistance is also available from any BLS regional office. TDD Information voice phone: (202) 691-5200 The Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339 Write or Personal Visit Bureau of Labor Statistics OCLT/SI&P 2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. - Suite 4175 Washington, D.C. 20212-0001 Other Ways to Access our Data: Libraries Federal Depository Libraries provide free access to government documents. Many of these libraries receive BLS publications. Check with a location near you. Contact Us 

### 3/14/2011 Employment Cost Trends Home Page

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