Given a math problem with context and a question and 5 answer choices, the task is to provide the correct answer choice based on the problem. You must choose one of the given answer choices by letter: a, b, c, d, or e; anything else is invalid.

Problem: a survey of employers found that during 1993 employment costs rose 3.5 percent, where employment costs consist of salary costs and fringe - benefit costs. if salary costs rose 3 percent and fringe - benefit costs rose 9.5 percent during 1993, then fringe - benefit costs represented what percent of employment costs at the beginning of 1993 ?
Options: a. 16.5 %, b. 8 %, c. 35 %, d. 55 %, e. 65 %
b