14

Table 7. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries only, private
industry workers, by bargaining status and area size

Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes for

Series 3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996

Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996

Workers, by bargaining status

UNION oa cnesseertreiee 122.2 124.8 125.4 06 os 0s 26 27 26
Blue-collar occupations 120.3 122.8 123.4 3 7 5 23 23 26
Goods-producing industries ' . 120.6 123.2 123.6 3 6 3 23 25 25
Service-producing industries 2 124.2 1268 127.6 8 5 6 3.0 29 27
Manutacturing ... 122.0 124.5 125.2 6 5 6 23 26 26
Blue-collar occupations 121.6 1242 125.0 5 8 6 23 26 268
Nonmanutacturing .. 122.3 124.9 125.5 6 5 5 28 27 26
Nonunion .... 123.3 126.9 1277 6 8 6 29 35 36
Blue-collar occupations 122.4 125.2 126.3 6 4 a) 3.2 a4 34
Goods-producing industries ' 123.8 127.3 128.0 4 1.0 5 29 36 34
Service-producing industries 2 123.0 126.6 1275 5 7 7 29 34 a7
Manufacturing 125.2 1288 129.6 7 1.0 6 3.0 36 35
Blue-collar occupations 124.2 127.8 1288 9 rc) 8 35 38 37
Nonmanufacturing. . 122.6 126.1 127.0 6 7 7 29 34 36
Workers, by region 3
123.6 127.0 1277 4 8 6 28 32 3.3
122.4 126.0 127.0 5 7 8 28 34 38
1236 126.9 1277 5 & 6 29 3.2 33
122.7 125.8 126.5 14 8B & 34 36 3t
Workers, by area size
Metropolitan areas . 123.2 1267 127.4 7 7 6 29 35 34
Other areas . 122.4 125.0 1265 2 12 29 24 33
1 Includes mining, construction, and manutacturing. Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wes! Virginia; Midwest—iilinos. inciana
2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail iowa. Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missoun, Nebraska, North Dakota. Ohio. Sour
wage: finance, insurance, and real estate; and serice industries. Dakota, and Wisconsin; and West—Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorago. Hawa:

The regional coverage 1s as follows: Northeast—Connecticut, Maine, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Now Jersey, Now York, Pennsyivania, Rhode Island,
and Vermont; South—Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Disvict of Columbia, Flonda, © NOTE: The indexes for these senes are not strictly comparable to those tor ine
Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South aggregate, occupation, and industry series. :


Table 1. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED: Em)

industry and occupational group

5

ployment Cost Index for total compensation, wages and salaries, and benefit costs, by

Indexes (June

Percent changes tor 3-months ended

Series 1989=100)
Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Mar. 1995 | June 1995 | Sep. 1995 | Dec. 1995 | Mar. 1996 | June 1996 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
COMPENSATION
Cwilian workers 130.0 131.0 07 08 06 07 os 08 06 08
State and local government .... 131.4 132.5 38 1.0 5 7 6 7 5 8
Private industry workers . 1296 130.6 7 z 6 7 7 8 6 8
White-collar occupations 131.0 131.9 7 7 7 7 9 8 8 7
Biue-collar occupations 128.0 129.2 5 7 & 6 6 8 4 3
Service occupations .. 1274 128.6 6 6 5 5 3 6 s 12
Goods-producing industries 1 130.3 131.2 2 6 s 8 4 9 7 z
Construction 1255 126.7 2 5 7 7 6 6 2 1.0
Manutacturing 131.3 132.2 6 6 6 8 5 9 8 7
Durables .. 131.9 132.8 6 7 4 3B 2 13 5 7
Nondurables 1302 131.4 4 6 6 1.0 7 5 12 7
‘Service-producing industries 2 | 129.4 130.3 9 7 7 6 8 8 7 7
‘Transportation and public
Utilities . 1292 130.8 1 8 1.0 9 5 6 s 12
Wholesale v 1299 134.1 14 9 13 9 4 1.0 7 3
Retail rade .| 125.9 127.7 7 2 7 6 15 +2 1 14
Finance, insurance, and real
estate 3 1267 126.0 1 13 2 3 oI 14 3 “6
Services .. 132.6 133.5 6 7 5 5 38 9 6 7
Nonmanutacturing industries 128.9 130.1 7 8 6 7 8 8 5s 9
WAGES AND SALARIES
Civilian workers ... 1270 128.0 07 07 07 07 1.0 09 06 08
State and local government .. 1296 130.7 8 7 7 8 s& B s& 8
Private industy workers 126.4 127.3 8 7 z 7 ww 9 6 a
White-collar occupations 1279 128.8 7 8 7 7 12 a 2 7
Blue-coliar occupatons 3 124.3 125.1 8 9 6 5 9 1.0 5 6
Service occupations 124.1 1257 5 & & 5 7 7 8 13
Goods-producing industies 3] 126.1 126.8 7 8 & 7 8 1.0 & 6
Construction 120.1 1209 3 5 & x] a 8 4 7
Manutactunng 3 1277 128.4 a 3 5 6 9 9 9 5
Durables 3 1277 128.4 3 38 6 & & Ww z) Ss
Nondurables 1277 128.6 7 7 6 9 1.0 4 11 7
Service-producing industnes2 | 126.5 1276 8 7 7 7 12 8g 6 9
‘Transportation and public
ublites .... 125.9 1272 141 7 8 8 3 3 8 10
Wholesale tade 1286 129.8 12 1.0 13 oI 8 1.0 7 7
+ Retail vade 124.0 126.0 3 3 7 5 20 +2 9 16
Finance. insurance, a
estate 3 1222 122.2 7 17 rc 3 12 18 2 0
Services 129.7 130.5 7 6 6 6 12 11 6 6
Nonmanutacturing industries 1257 126.9 7 8 7 7 1 9 5 10

See toomotes a! eno of tabie


10

Table 4. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employ
workers, by bargaining status and area size

ment Cost Index for total compensation, private industry

Indexes (June 1989-100) Percent changes for
Series 3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Workers, by bargaining status
. fesse 127.7 130.1 130.8 07 03 os 28 26 24
‘occupations 126.3 128.3 128.9 5 2 5 24 24 24
Goods-producing industries * 127.5 129.2 1298 6 2 5 22 2.0 18
Service-producing industries 2 127.8 131.0 131.7 9 5 5 35 33 3.0
Manutactuning ...ccscssc 128.1 129.8 130.6 8 0 6 18 24 2.0
Blue-coliar occupations 1278 129.5 130.1 8 1 5 18 24 18
Nonmanutacturing 1274 129.9 130.4 7 5 4 33 29 26
Nonunion ..... ee 1265 129.7 130.4 4 8 5 27 29 34
Biue-collar occupations... 125.1 1278 128.9 5 4 3 26 27 3.0
Goods-producing industries 1272 130.4 1313 6 8 Z 25 32 32
Service-producing industries 2 126.0 129.2 129.9 3 7 5 27 29 34
Manufacturing 1283 1317 1325 8 2 8 28 35 33
Blue-collar occupa 127.0 130.3 131.4 10 8 8 28 37 35
Nonmanutacturing .... 125.7 128.9 1296 3 7 5 26 29 31
Workers, by region 3
1278 130.6 131.4 3 z 4 28 28 26
128.6 128.8 129.7 3 8 7 25 29 33
128.3 131.3 132.1 5 5 8 26 28 3.0
125.0 128.3 128.9 cc) 38 5 27 36 34
Workers, by area size
Metropolitan areas 1268 130.0 130.6 5 7 8 28 3.0 3.0
Other areas .. 1265 128.7 1302 3 5 12 24 24 29

1 includes mining, construction, and manufactunng.

includes transportation, communication, and public ublities; wholesale and retail
‘rade: finance, msurance, and real estate: and service indusines.

The tegional coverage 1s follows: Northeas'—Connecticut, Mame,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jarsey, New York, Pennsyivania, Rhode island,
and Vermont, South—Alabama. Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South

Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest—ilinois, Indiana,
lowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South
Dakota, and Wisconsin; and West—Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai,
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

NOTE: The indexes for these sones are not sinctly comparable to those for the
aggregate, occupation, and industry series.


7

Table 2, COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost index for total compensation, civilian and state and
local government workers, by industry and occupational group

Indexes (June 1989-100) Percent changes for
Senes 3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec, 1996
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec. 1995 | Sep 1996 | Dec 1996
*Civilian workers oa. sect 127.2 130.2 130.9 os 08 os 27 28 29
Excluding sales... seven] 127.5 130.5 131.2 5 9 5 27 28 29
Workers, by occupational group
White-coliar occupations w| 128.0 131.3 131.9 5 1.0 5 29 31 30
Excluding sales oo... cn | 128.6 131.9 132.4 Ss 1 4 28 3.0 3.0
Professional specialty and technical... 129.4 132.6 133.1 4 9 4 28 29 28
Executive. administrative, and
managerial... 127.4 131.4 131.5 6 18 3 34 35 32
Administrative support, including
clencal .... 129.0 132.0 132.6 7 9 5 3.0 3.0 28
Biue-coliar occupations... 125.8 128.3 129.1 5 5 8 25 25 26
Service occupations 127.4 129.7 131.0 & 8 1.0 28 24 28
Workers, by industry division
Goods-producing 1 127.4 130.1 130.9 2 6 6 24 28 27
Manutacturing . 128.3 131.3 132.1 & 7 6 26 34 30
Service-producing 2 .. 127.4 130.2 130.9 4 x) 5 28 28 30
Services 129.4 132.5 133.2 4 1.0 s 24 28 29
Health services . 132.0 134.4 134.4 7 5 2 27 23 18
Hospitals ... 131.4 133.6 1338 & 5 1 23 25 18
Educational services 130.2 133.2 133.9 3 18 5 3.0 26 28
Public administration 1283 130.7 131.8 7 8 8 3.3 26 27
Nonmanutacturing 1268 1298 130.5 4 8 5 28 28 29
State and local government workers ......] 129.3 131.9 132.7 5 13 s 29 25 26
Workers, by occupational group
White-collar occupations... 129.1 131.8 132.5 4 18 5 29 25 26
Protessional specialty and technical 1288 131.6 132.3 3 16 s 26 25 27
Executive. administrative, and
managerial .... 129.9 132.0 132.9 6 8 7 37 22 23
Administrative support, including
clerical .... 129.1 131.8 133.0 5 ww 9 28 26 30
Biue-collar occupati 128.0 130.3 131.2 6 6 7 26 24 25
Service occupations . 131.0 133.6 1345 7 1.0 7 35 27 27
Workers. by industry division
SeIICCS ee ceee 1296 132.4 133.1 3 16 8 28 25 27
Excluding schools 3 ... 129.4 131.9 132.0 4 8 1 3.0 23 20
Health services . 131.6 134.0 134.1 $ 7 1 at 23 1g
Hospitals .. 131.7 134.2 134.3 5 28 1 34 24 20
Educatonal services 129.4 132.3 133.0 3 18 5 27 26 28
‘Schools ..... 1298 132.6 133.4 3 18 6 28 25 28
Elementary and secondary 130.1 132.6 133.1 2 16 4 28 22 23
Colleges and universities 128.7 132.5 134.0 5 20 141 25 35 41
Public administration 128.3 130.7 131.8 7 8 8 3.3 26 27
!udes mining, construction, ang manutactunng rage: finance, msurance, and real estale. service inousiries. and public aomin-siratior

08s ‘ansportation. communication, and public uilliies: wholesale ano retail > Formerly called nospita's ano other services,


Table 1. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED: Employment Cost Index for total compensation,

industry and occupational group — Continued

6

wages and salaries, and benefit costs, by

Indexes (June
$ Percent changes for 3-months ended
Sones 1989=100)
Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Mar. 1995 | June 1995 | Sep 1995 | Dec. 1995 | Mar. 1996 | June 1996 | Sep. 1996 | Dec 1996
BENEFIT COSTS

Civilian workers 137.4 138.4 03 o7 0.6 06 0.0 07 06 07
State and local government 135.6 136.7 6 14 4 8 7 6 Cy) 8
Private industry workers . 137.8 138.8 1 6 6 6 at 7 7 7
White-collar occupations 139.5 140.4 7 7 7 6 “a 7 9 6
Bive-coliar occupations 196.1 137.4 2 3 4 8 od 7 1 1.0
Service occupations 136.3 1375 “1 5 2 3 “8 5 1 9
Goods-producing industies!...| 138.9 140.3 0 2 4 1.0 “4 2 4 1.0
Manutacturing .... | 139.0 140.2 0 2 4 1.0 A 1.0 4 9
Service-producing industries 2 | 137.1 1379 7 8 7 4 0 6 8 6
Nonmanutacturing industries 137.4 138.5 5 7 7 4 “A 6 7 8

Includes mining, construction, and manutactunng.

Includes transponauon, communicaton, and public utilities: wholesale and retail

‘ade: nance, insurance, and real estate: and service indusines.
> 'No identiiabie seasonality was found for this senes.


Table 3. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONA\
workers, by industry and occupational gro

9

LLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total com)
up — Continued

pensation, private industry

Indexes (June 1989=100)

Series

Dec. 1995

Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996

Transportation and public utlibes
Transportation on
Public utilities .

Communications
Electric, gas, and sanitary
SONMICES arcsec

Wholesale and retail trade
Excluding sales occupations
Wholesale trade ....
Excluding sales occupations
Retail trade .
General merc!
Food stores ..

Finance, insurance, and real estate
Exciuding sales occupations
Banking, savings and loan, and ot
credit agencies
Insurance ..
Excluding sales occupations

Services ...
Business services ..
Health services

Hospitals .

Nursing homes
Educational services,

Colleges and univers

S

Nonmanufacturing industries
White-collar occupations .
Excluding sales ...
Blue-collar occupations
Service occupatons .

126.6
125.1
1285
128.3

128.7

124.2
125.0
127.0
127.1
122.7
121.7
122.4

123.1
125.7

124.4
126.9
130.2

129.4
126.3
132.2
131.3

133.7
135.2

125.9
127.0
128.6
123.7
124.7

129.3
128.2
130.4
129.1

132.0

127.5
128.0
129.9
130.0
126.2
124.6
127.0

126.7
129.7

130.3
129.3
133.4

132.7
130.2
134.2
133.4

137.5
138.6

129.1
130.5
132.1
125.9
127.0

130.4
129.2
131.7
1314

192.4

128.6
129.0
130.9
130.9
127.4
126.3
128.4

126.0
129.2

128.0
129.6
133.5

133.4
131.8
134.5,
133.7

138.0
139.1

129.8
131.1
132.5,
126.7,
128.6

Percent changes for
3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec. 1995 Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Os 07 09 37 26 3.0
3 4 8 40 28 33
8 10 1.0 33 23 25
7 13 15 3.5 13 22
8 7 3 KAI 34 29
3 9 3 3.0 3.0 35
7 13 8 34 34 32
7 5 8 45 3.0 ERI
7 1.0 7 42 3.0 3.0
1 a 1.0 22 29 38
6 8&8 1.4 2.0 3.0 3.8
5 24 Ww 2.0 43 49
3 3 “6 35 3.3 24
2 2 4 3.2 3.4 28
-3 16 AB 3.2 44 29
& 2 2 29 35 29
5 5 1 29 29 25
4 8 Ss 22 29 34
5 8 12 27 36 44
7 5 2 27 22 17
8 5 2 24 24 18
1.0 2 9 34 28 26
4 2.0 ‘4 41 32 32
4 18 4 5.0 3.0 29
3 7 5 27 29 34
4 8 5 28 32 32
5 1.0 3 28 3.2 3.0
2 2 6 27 1.9 24
4 8 1.3 19 23 34

| This senes has me same industry and occupational coverage as the Hourly
Earpings Index, which was discontinued in January 1989.

§ Rcludes mining, construction, and manutactunng,

Publication of data for service occupations i manufacturing and other

‘go0ds-producing industnes has bean discontinued due t

Includes transportation, communication, and public util
trade; finance, msurance, and real estate; and service industries,
able,

~ Data not

cient sample size.
: wholesale and retail



: United States Zi
News" ¢
of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212

Technical contact: USDL: 97-24
Wayne Shelly 202/606-6199
: TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL
Media contact: IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED
Kathryn Hoyle 202/606-5902 UNTIL 8:30 A.M. (EST), TUESDAY,

JANUARY 28, 1997
Internet: hup://stats.bls.gov/ecthome.htm

EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX - DECEMBER 1996

The Employment Cost Index (ECI) for December 1996 was 130.9 (une 1989=100), an increase of 2.9
percent from December 1995, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics Teported today. The

ECI measures changes in Compensation costs, which include wages, salaries, and employer costs for employee
benefits.

Quarterly changes, seasonal ly adjusted

On a seasonally adjusted basis, Compensation costs for civilian workers (private industry plus state and
local governments) increased 0.8 percent in the three months that ended December 1996. This continued a
Pattern of increases that have ranged from 0.6 to 0.8 percent for the last three years. Wages and salaries
increased 0.8 percent during the September-December 1996 period. The increase for the June-September period
was 0.6 percent. Benefit Costs increased 0.7 percent in December; in September, these costs increased 0.6

percent.
Table A. Percent changes in Employment Cost Index for civilian workers
Seasonally adjusted Unadjusted
3-months ended 12-months
Compensation Mar. June Sep. Dec. | Mar. June Sep. Dec. ended
Component 1995 1995 1995 1995} 1996 1996 1996 1996 Dec. 1996
Compensation costs 07° 08 O06 07/08 O08 06 oO8 2.9
Wages and salaries 07° 07 #07 07 10 09 06 08 3.3
Benefit costs 03° 407 06 061/00 07 06 07 2.0

Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 0.8 percent during the September-December
1996 period. Over the past three years, compensation increases have ranged from 0.6 to 0.8 percent in private
industry. Wages and salaries increased 0.7 percent in December; in September, the increase was 0.6 percent.
The benefits cost increase of 0.7 percent in December was the same as in the previous two quarters; in March.
benefit costs declined 0.1 percent. (See table 1.)

Compensation costs for state and local government workers increased 0.8 percent in the September-
December period, up slightly from the 0.5 percent increase reported for the previous quarter. Wages and
salaries, which have increased at the rate of 0.6 to 0.8 percent for the last four years, rose 0.8 percent. Benefit
costs also increased 0.8 percent; in September, there was no change in benefits cost.


12

Table 6. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost index for wages and salaries only, private
industry workers, by industry and occupational group

Indexes (June 1989-100) Percent changes for
Series 3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Private industry workers 123.1 126.5 127.3 06 07 06 28 33 34
Excluding sales ...... 123.4 126.8 1275 7 9 6 28 34 3.3
White-collar occupations ... 124.3 128.0 1287 6 38 5 29 36 35
Exciuding sales ........ 125.2 129.0 129.4 7 1 3 29 38 34
Professional specialty and technical 126.1 129.6 129.9 6 6 2 25 34 3.0
Executive, administrative, and
managerial ..... 124.4 128.9 129.3 8 17 3 32 45 39
Sales 120.4 123.9 125.9 1 74 16 32 28 46
Administrative support, including
clerical .... 125.3 128.5 129.2 8 9 5 3.0 34 at
Biue-collar occupations ..... | 121.4 124.3 125.1 5 5 6 29 29 3.0
Precision production, craft, and repair ....| 121.4 124.2 125.1 3 4 7 3.0 26 3.0
Machine operators, assembiers,
and inspectors ...... 122.3 125.4 126.4 7 7 8 29 33 34
Transportation and material moving .. 118.6 121.0 120.1 1 3 1 26 24 24
Handlers, equipment cleaners,
helpers, and laborers 122.6 125.8 127.41 x) 6 10 3.1 35 37
Service occupations .... 121.4 124.1 125.7 5 9 13 22 27 35
Production and nonsupervisory
occupations ' .. 122.4 125.6 1265 5 6 7 28 34 3.3
Goods-producing industries 2 .. 122.9 126.1 1268 7 & 6 28 3.3 3.2
Excluding sales occupations 122.4 125.7 1263 7 a 5 28 34 32
White-collar occupations... 125.3 128.6 129.1 7 1.0 4 27 34 3.0
Excluding sales 124.2 127.7 128.1 8 1 3 28 37 34
Biue-collar occupations 121.4 1245 125.3 6 6 6 28 3.4 3.2
Service occupations? 123.5 - - 6 - - 32 - -
Construction .. 117.4 120.4 120.8 5 7 3 24 31 29
Manufacturing .... 1243 127.7 128.4 & 2 5 29 34 33
White-collar occupations 126.1 129.6 130.1 & 141 4 28 34 32
Excluding sales .. 1248 128.4 128.9 7 14 4 28 36 3.3
Blue-collar occupations... 123.1 126.3 127.3 7 7 8 3.0 34 34
Service occupations? 124.3 - - 5 - - 34 - -
Durables .. 1243 127.7 128.4 6 3 5 29 3.3 3.3
Aircraft manutacturing (SIC 3721) 128.1 130.6 130.9 5 2 2 26 25 22
White-collar occupations . 123.2 126.1 1265 4 2 3 25 28 27
Biue-collar occupations 135.1 137.0 137.4 7 4 a 26 22 15
Nondurables .. 124.4 127.6 1285 x) 2 7 3.0 35 33
Service-producing industries 4 .. 123.2 126.7 1275 Ss 7 6 29 3.3 35
Excluding sales occupations 124.2 127.6 1283 6 3 5 29 34 33
White-collar occupations 124.0 127.8 128.5 6 8 5 3.0 37 36
Excluding sales .. 125.6 129.5 129.9 7 cI 3 29 38 34
Biue-collar occupations 121.4 123.8 1248 2 2 8 32 22 28
Service occupations 121.3 124.0 125.6 5 1.0 13 22 27 35

See too!noles at end of tabie



1]

Table 5. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries only, civilian
and state and local government workers, by industry and occupational group

Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes tor
Series 3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Cwilian workers . 123.9 1272 128.0 0.6 09 06 29 32 33
Excluding sales ..... 124.2 127.5 128.1 6 1.0 5 29 33 31
Workers, by occupational group
+ White-collar occupations * 125.1 128.6 129.3 6 1.0 5 3.0 35 34
Excluding sales . . 125.8 129.4 129.9 6 13 4 29 35 33
Professional specialty and technical 126.9 130.2 130.7 6 141 4 28 3.3 30
Executive, administrative, and
managerial .... 124.7 129.0 120.4 7 16 3a 3.2 42 38
Administrative support, including
clerical .. 125.2 128.4 1291 7 1.0 5 3.0 3.3 31
Blue-collar occupations 121.7 1245 125.4 $s 5 7 3.0 28 30
Service occupations 123.4 126.2 1276 5 1.0 1 25 28 34
Workers, by industry division
Goods-producing 1 1229 126.1 1268 7 8 6 28 33 32
Manufacturing . 124.3 127.7 128.4 6 cc) 5 29 34 33
Service-producing 2 ... 124.3 127.7 128.5 5 9 & 3.0 32 34
Services ..... 126.9 130.3 131.4 6 11 6 28 32 33
Health services . 128.4 130.8 131.4 7 6 5 24 26 23
Hospitals 127.8 130.0 130.5 8 6 4 23 25 21
Educational services, 1285 131.6 132.3 5 19 5 3.4 3.0 30
Public administration 1241 126.6 127.7 7 1.0 ce) 29 28 29
Nonmanutacturing 1237 127.0 1278 5 cc) 6 29 3.2 33
State and local government workers ......] 127.3 130.1 130.9 6 16 6 32 28 28
Workers, by occupational group
White-collar occupations .. 1274 130.3 1314 5 16 & 3.4 28 2
Professional specialty and technical... 128.0 131.4 131.7 s 19 s 34 29 2e
Executive, administrative, and
managerial 126.9 129.3 130.2 7 10 7 37 26 26
Administrative support, including
clerical ... 125.1 1277 129.0 & 13 1.0 28 27 a1
Blue-collar occupations 125.7 127.9 128.8 7 7 7 26 25 25
Service occupations .. 127.3 130.1 131.0 & 12 7 32 28 2¢
Workers, by industry division
Services .... 128.2 131.2 131.9 5 18 5 3.2 28 29
Excluding schools 3 127.4 130.1 130.5 4 WwW 3 27 25 24
Health services .. 1286 131.1 131.4 5 x) 2 26 25 22
Hospitals ... 128.4 130.9 131.3 6 9 3 26 26 23
Educatonal services 128.3 131.3 132.0 5 19 5 3.3 28 29
Schools 128.4 131.4 132.2 5 19 6 3.3 28 30
Elementary and secondary 129.2 132.0 132.4 4 19 3 34 26 25
Colieges and universities 125.9 1298 131.2 7 24 1 28 38 42
Public administration... 1244 126.6 127.7 7 1.0 9 29 28 29
includes mining, construction, ano manutacturing rage: finance, insurance, and real estate: service idusines; and public aomunisttation

includes transportation, communication, ano public utiles; wholesale and retail Formerly called hospitals and otner services.


8

Table 3, COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, private industry
workers, by industry and occupational group

Indexes (June 1989-100) Percent changes for
Series 3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Rrivate industry workers 126.7 129.8 130.6 04 06 06 26 29 31
Excluding sales 127.1 130.2 130.8 5 8 5 26 29 29
White-coliar occupations | 127.6 134.4 131.7 5 8 5 28 32 32
Excluding sales ......... cosnee| 128.6 132.0 132.5 6 1.0 4 28 33 30
Professional specialty and technical . 129.9 133.3 133.7 5 5 3 24 34 29
Executive, administrative. and
126.9 130.9 131.3 6 16 3 29 37 | ° 35
123.2 126.7 128.1 0 +2 11 3.0 28 4.0
Administrative support, including .
clerical 129.0 132.0 132.5 7 a) 4 a4 3.0 27
Blue-collar occupations .. 125.6 128.1 129.0 4 4 7 24 24 27
Precision production, craft, and repai 125.7 128.2 129.1 2 4 7 26 22 27
Machine operators, assemblers,
and inspectors 1262 128.7 129.5 x) 5 6 23 29 26
‘Transportation and material moving . 123.0 124.9 125.2 1 2 2 20 1.6 18
Handlers, equipment cleaners,
helpers, and laborers 126.8 130.0 131.3 7 5 1.0 3.2 33 35
Service occupations .. 125.2 127.4 128.9 4 7 12 19 22 3.0
Production and nonsupervisory
occupations ° .. 126.3 129.2 130.0 4 5 6 26 27 29
Goods-producing industries 2 1273 130.1 130.9 6 6 8 24 28 28
Excluding sales occupations . 127.0 129.8 130.5 2 6 5 24 29 28
White-collar occupations 129.0 1322 132.9 7 9 5 25 32 3.0
Excluding sales . 128.2 131.5 132.1 8 1.0 5 26 34 3.0
Biue-collar occupations 1263 128.9 1296 8 5 5 24 27 26
Service occupations? .. 1295 - - 5 - - 25 - -
Construction ... 123.4 125.9 126.4 2 5 4 22 23 24
Manufacturing 128.3 131.3 132.1 8 2 6 26 34 3.0
White-collar occupations .. 1295 132.8 133.6 & 9 & 28 32 3.2
Excluding sales .... 128.3 131.8 1325 7 1.0 s 27 35 3.3
Blue-collar occupations 1275 130.2 131.1 1.0 5 7 24 a4 28
Service occupations? 130.2 - - 5 - - 28 - -
Durables 129.0 131.9 1326 & 5 5 25 29 28
Aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721) . 133.8 138.2 137.4 17 0 “6 36 54 27
White-coliar occupations 1290 133.8 133.7 2 “1 ot 3.0 47 36
Blue-collar occupations .. 140.5 144.4 142.3 a4 2 15 47 59 13
Nondurabies ... 127.0 130.0 131.0 1.0 3 8 26 34 a4
Service-producing industries 4 126.2 120.5 130.2 3 7 s 28 29 32
Excluding sales occupations 127.2 130.3 130.9 5 9 5 27 29 29
White-collar occupations . 127.1 130.6 131.4 5 28 4 3.0 32 31
Excluding sales ... 128.7 1322 132.6 5 1.0 3 29 33 30
Blue-coliar occupations 2... 124.0 126.4 1273 1 3 7 27 2.0 27
Service occupations ve 124.8 127.1 1286 5 8 1.2 19 23 30

See footnotes at enc ot labia


4

Employment Cost Index

: “Chart A. Changes in wages and salaries and _ Chart B. Changes in compensation, seasonally

: adjusted and not seasonally adjusted, private

- benefit costs, private indus’

Benefits

n n

81 83 85

Linsdenttatadoasheetitsaataliathiothe

87

industry

Seasonally adjusted Not seasonally adjusted

|. 3-month percent change
| 35

Eatadats

93 95 97

81 83 85 87 89 91

“Chart C. Changes in compensation, manu-
_ facturing - durable goods and manufactur-
_ing - nondurable goods, private industry

Manufacturing Manufacturing
durables nondurables

12-month percent change
66

87 89 OL 93 95 97

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Office of Compensation Levels and Trends

Chart D. Changes in compensation,
union and nonunion occupations,
private industry

Union Nonunion

12-month percent change

89 91 93 95 o7

January 1997 _ oclttinfo@bls.gov 202/606-6199



15

Table 8. BENEFITS (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for benefits only, civi
industry workers, by industry and occupational group

n, state and local and private

Indexes (June 1989-100) Percent changes for

Series 3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996

Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996

195.5 137.7 138.2 0.2 0.6 0.4 23 18 20

Civilian workers...
State and local government workers ... 133.9 136.1 136.8 2 7 5 26 19 22
Private industry workers . 135.9 138.1 138.6 2 5 4 22 18 20
White-collar occupations 1367 139.5 139.7 1 8 1 26 24 22
Biue-collar occupations 1347 136.2 137.0 4 1 6 17 16 17
Service occupations .. 136.0 136.2 137.4 2 a 9 1.0 4 1.0
Goods-producing industries * ... 137.1 138.8 139.7 7 a 17 19 19
‘Service-producing industries 2 134.7 137.2 137.4 oa) 7 1 24 18 2.0
Manufacturing 136.7 138.8 139.8 r) 2 2 18 24 23
Aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721) .. 146.1 154.8 151.6 40 24 “2.4 5.6 10.2 3.8
White-collar occupations 1425 152.1 150.9 19 -5 8 38 87 59
Biue-coliar occupations 150.8 158.4 152.2 73 0 3.9 83 127 a
Nonmanutacturing 135.3 137.5 137.9 ol 6 3 23 1.6 19
Union workers ... 138.0 139.9 140.7 1.0 “A 6 32 2.4 2.0
Nonunion workers 135.1 137.4 1378 “1 2 3 18 16 2.0
} Includes mining, construction, and manutacturing. NOTE: The indexes for these senes are not strictly comparable to those for the

2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail aggregate, occupation, and industry series.
trade: finance, insurance, and real ostate; and service industries,


7

Beginning with the March 1990 ECT release, indexes were rebased to June 1989=100. A description of
the rebasing is included in the article "Employment Cost Index Rebased to June 1989," in the April 1990 issue

of the Monthly Labor Review.

Beginning with the December 1990 ECI release, seasonally adjusted data are available for selected EC]
series. Seasonal adjustment removes the effects of events that follow a more or less Tegular pattern each year.
These adjustments make nonseasonal patterns easier to spot. ECI series are seasonally adjusted using either
direct or composite seasonally adjusted estimates. Industry and occupational series, such as construction and
service occupations, are adjusted directly. More aggregate series, such as civilian or private industry workers,
use composite estimates. The composite estimates could be obtained by aggregating either the industry or the
occupational components, and the results may differ depending on which method is used. The aggregate
seasonally adjusted ECI series are estimated by aggregating the component seasonally adjusted industry series,
_ So they are not necessarily a weighted average of the component occupation series.

The costs per hour worked of compensation components, based on March 1996 data from the ECI, are
published in a separate news release titled "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation - March 1996." A
description of the cost levels is provided in the article “Analyzing employers’ costs for wages, salaries, and
benefits” in the October 1987 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. The cost levels, which are usually published
annually in the summer, are calculated with current employment weights, rather than the fixed 1990 Census
weights used in computing the EC]. Therefore, year-to-year changes in the cost levels will usually differ from
those in the ECI.

More detailed information on the ECI is available in several sources. These include an annual bulletin,

Vv. -95, (Bulletin 2466); a chapter in the BLS Handbook of Methods
(Bulletin 2414), "The Employment Cost Index;" and several articles published in the Monthly Labor Review
and i Workii itions. The annual bulletin is available from the Superintendent of
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, or Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Publications Sales Center, P.O. Box 2145, Chicago, Llinois 60690, 312-353-1880. Reprints of the articles plus
other descriptive pieces and a complete historical listing are available upon request. ECI historical data are also
available on data diskettes.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice
phone: 202-606-7828, Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) phone: 202-606-5897, TDD Message
Referral Phone Number: 1-800-326-2577.


BLS Data Available on the World Wide Web and Fax On Demand

EC] data, as well as other data produced by BLS, are now available on the World Wide Web. The ECI home
page address is: http://stats.bls.gov/ecthome.htm. The BLS home page address is: http://stats.bls.gov.
There is no charge from BLS for using this service; however, there may be a charge from your Internet service
provider. To access data using GOPHER or Anonymous FTP, use the Internet address: stats.bls.gov.

For technical assistance in using the BLS Internet site, send e-mail to: labstat.helpdesk@bls.gov. For ECI data
Tequests, send e-mail to: ocltinfo@bls.gov.

News releases and other information are available from the BLS fax-on-demand service. To Tequest a document
fax, call 202-606-6325. To Tequest a catalog of available documents, select option 2 at the initial voice prompt.
To request data found in this news release, select option | and enter the following codes:

Text and charts 4110
Tables 1-4 4115
Tables 5-7 4120
Table 8 4125

Explanatory notes 4190



to

Over-the-year changes, unadjusted

Compensation costs for civilian workers (not seasonally adjusted) increased 2.9 percent for the year
ended December 1996, while such costs rose 2.7 percent during the 12-month period that ended December 1995.
(See table 2.) In private industry, compensation costs increased 3.1 percent in the year ended in December
1996; in’state and local government, compensation costs increased 2.6 percent. (See table 3.)

. In private industry, wages and salaries increased 3.4 percent for the 12-month period ended December
1996. For the year that ended December 1995, the increase was 2.8 percent. (See table 6.) Benefit costs for
private industry workers increased 2.0 percent in the year ended December 1996. For the 12-month period that
ended December 1995, the increase was 2.2 percent. (See table 8.)

Over-the-year compensation cost increases in private industry were 3.2 percent for white-collar workers.
2.7 percent for blue-collar workers, and 3.0 percent for service occupations. Among occupational groups,
increases ranged from 1.8 percent for transportation and material moving occupations to 4.0 percent for sales
occupations. .

For the year ended December 1996, compensation cost gains in private industry were 2.8 percent for
goods-producing and 3.2 percent for service-producing industries. Within service-producing industries,
increases ranged from 1.7 percent for health services establishments to 4.9 percent for food stores.

Over-the-year compensation cost increases in private industry were 3.1 percent for nonunion workers
and 2.4 percent for union workers. The pattern was similar for workers in goods-producing industries where
compensation costs increased 3.2 percent for nonunion workers and 1.8 percent for union workers. In service-
producing industries, compensation cost increases were about the same for nonunion and union workers, 3.1 and
3.0 percent, respectively. (See table 4.)

The ECI for March 1997 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, April 29, 1997, at 8:30 A.M. (EST).

Data in this news release for December 1995 and March 1996 were corrected from the originally published
estimates. These corrections were introduced with the release of June 1996 ECI data. .

Data for aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721) that formerly appeared in table 9 now appear in the tables that cover
the individual compensation components. Thus, compensation estimates appear in table 3, wages and salaries
appear in table 6, and benefits appear in table 8. In each of the tables, aircraft manufacturing is listed as a
subcomponent of manufacturing.


13 -

Table 6. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries only, private
industry workers, by industry and occupational group — Continued

Indexes (June 1989-100) Percent changes for
Series 3 months ended 12 months ended
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996
Dec. 1995 | Sep. 1996 | Dec. 1996 | Dec. 1995 | Sep 1996 | Dec 1996
Transportation and public utilities 123.7 125.9 127.0 07 07 09 a4 24 27
Transportation 121.6 123.8 1247 5 5 7 35 2.3 25
Public utilities 126.1 128.4 129.8 7 1.0 Ww a4 26 29
Communications 126.2 128.2 130.3 7 13 16 34 23 32
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services ........ 125.9 1285 129.0 6 6 4 29 26 25
Wholesale and retail trade . 122.3 125.8 127.0 6 8 10 33 35 38
Excluding sales occupations .. 123.2 126.5 127.7 1 13 9 37 38 37
Whoiesale trade ..... 1255 128.5 129.6 13 4 9 47 37 33
Excluding sales occupations 125.7 128.9 129.8 16 1.0 7 46 42 33
Retail trade .. 120.6 124.4 125.8 1 Ww Ww 24 3.2 43
General merchandise stores . 120.1 122.6 1247 9 7 17 22 3.0 38
Food stores .... 119.1 123.1 1247 4 16 13 15 38 47
Finance, insurance, and real estat 118.4 122.2 122.2 3 2 oO 37 36 32
Excluding sales occupations 121.3 126.0 125.3 2 1.2 “6 3.3 40 33
Banking, savings and loan, and other
credit agencies 120.1 126.8 123.8 “2 24 2.4 34 53 1
Insurance .. 1222 125.4 126.0 3 1.0 5 3.0 3.6 3t
Excluding sales occupations .. 126.3 129.3 129.7 5 5 3 29 29 2
Services ... 126.0 129.7 130.5 & & 6 24 35 36
Business services 124.3 128.5 130.1 & & 12 3.2 40 47
Health services 128.4 130.8 131.4 7 5 5 24 26 23
Hospitals 127.7 129.7 130.3 9 5 5 23 24 20
Nursing homes . - - - 9 4 1.0 3.3 28 26
Educational services 129.4 133.3 133.8 6 22 4 3.4 37 34
Colleges and universities 130.1 133.4 133.8 9 19 3 42 3.4 28
Nonmanutacturing industries 1225 125.9 126.8 5 6 7 29 33 35
White-collar occupations 123.8 127.6 128.3 6 8 5 3.0 37 36
‘Excluding sales 125.4 129.2 129.6 8&8 Ww 3 3.0 39 33
Blue-collar occupations 119.8 122.4 123.1 3 3 6 29 25 28
Service occupations 121.2 123.9 125.5 5 1.0 13 22 27 35

’ This senes has the same industry and occupational coverage as the Hourly ge0ds- producing indusines has been discontinued due to insufficient sample size
Earpungs Index, which was discontinued in January 1969. Includes transportation, communication, and public utilites; wholesale and reta:
Includes mining, construction, and manutactunng. trade: finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries.
3 Publication of data for service occupations m manutacturing and other ~ Data not available.


16
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Employment Cost Index (ECI) is a measure of the change in the cost of labor. free from the
influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. The compensation series includes changes
in wages and salaries and employer costs for employee benefits. The wage and salary series and the benefit
Cost series provide the change for the two components of compensation.

Wages and salaries are defined as the hourly straight-time wage rate or, for workers not paid on an
hourly basis, straight-time earnings divided by the corresponding hours. Straight-time wage and salary rates are
total earnings before payroll deductions, excluding premium pay for overtime and for work on weekends and
holidays, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses such as lump-sum payments provided in lieu of wage
increases. Production bonuses, incentive earnings, commission payments, and cost-of-living adjustments are
included in straight-time wage and salary rates.

Benefits covered by the ECI are: Paid leave (vacations, holidays, sick leave, and other leave);
supplemental pay (premium pay for overtime, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses such as lump-sum
payments provided in lieu of wage increases); insurance benefits (life, health, sickness and accident, and long-
term disability); retirement and savings benefits (defined benefit and defined contribution); legally required
benefits (social security, Federal and State unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, and other legally
Tequired benefits such as State temporary disability); and other benefits (severance pay and supplemental
unemployment plans).

The ECI provides data for the civilian economy, which includes the total private economy and the
public sector--excluding farms, households, and the Federal government. The private industry series and the
State and local government series provide data for the two sectors separately.

Data for this quarter were collected from a probability sample of approximately 16,500 occupations
within about 3,900 sample establishments in private industry and approximately 4,500 occupations within about
850 sample establishments in State and’ local governments. Data are collected for the pay period including the
12th day of the survey months of March, June, September, and December.

The sample establishments are classified in industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC), as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Within an establishment, specific job categories are selected to Tepresent broader occupational
definitions. From June 1986 through December 1994, the jobs were classified according to definitions used in
the 1980 Census. Prior to June 1986, they were classified according to the 1970 Census. Differences between
the two classification systems are slight, as indicated in the article “Introducing new weights for the
Employment Cost Index,” in the June 1985 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning with March 1995,
the jobs are classified according to the 1990 Census, which differs little from the 1980 Census.

Fixed employment weights are used each quarter to calculate the most aggregate indexes--civilian,
private, and State and local governments. These fixed weights are also used to derive all of the industry and
occupation series indexes. Beginning in March 1995, 1990 employment counts primarily from the Bureau's
Occupational Employment Statistics survey were used. A description of the Teweighting is included in an
article "Introducing 1990 Weights for the Employment Cost Index,” that was published in the June 1995 issue
of Compensation and Working Conditions and that is available upon request. From June 1986 through
December 1994, employment counts from the 1980 Census were used as weights. Prior to June 1986,
employment counts from the 1970 Census were used.

For the series based on bargaining status, region, or area size, employment data are not available from
the Census. The employment weights are reallocated within these series each quarter based on the current ECI
sample. The indexes for these series, consequently, are not strictly comparable to those for the aggregate,
industry, and occupation series. A fuller explanation of the calculation of index numbers appears in an article,
“Estimation procedures for the Employment Cost Index,” in the May 1982 issue of the Monthly Labor Review.