EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX - JUNE 2016: Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 2.4 percent over the year, higher than the June 2015 increase of 1.9 percent. Wages and salaries increased 2.6 percent for the current 12-month period.

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in June 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs) increased 0.6 percent, and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation) increased 0.5 percent. (See chart 1 and tables A, 1, 2, and 3.)

Civilian Workers

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 2.3 percent for the 12-month period ending in June 2016. In June 2015, compensation costs increased 2.0 percent. Wages and salaries increased 2.5 percent for the current 12-month period, and increased 2.1 percent for the 12-month period ending in June 2015.

Benefit costs increased 2.0 percent for the 12-month period ending in June 2016. In June 2015, the increase was 1.8 percent. (See chart 2 and tables A, 4, 8, and 12.)

Private Industry Workers

Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 2.4 percent over the year, higher than the June 2015 increase of 1.9 percent. Wages and salaries increased 2.6 percent for the current 12-month period. In June 2015, the increase was 2.2 percent. The increase in the cost of benefits was 1.7 percent for the 12-month period ending in June 2016, and in June 2015 the increase was 1.4 percent. (See charts 3 and 4 and tables A, 5, 9, and 12.)

Employer costs for health benefits increased 2.8 percent for the 12-month period ending in June 2016. (For further information, see www.bls.gov/web/eci/echealth.pdf.)

Among occupational groups, compensation cost increases for private industry workers for the 12-month period ending in June 2016 ranged from 1.9 percent for management, professional, and related occupations to 3.1 percent for sales and office occupations. (See table 5.)

Among industry supersectors, compensation cost changes for private industry workers for the current 12-month period ranged from 1.8 percent for information to 3.0 percent for trade, transportation and utilities. (See table 5.)

State and Local Government Workers

Compensation costs for state and local government workers increased 2.3 percent for the 12-month period ending in June 2016. In June 2015, the increase was 2.2 percent. Wages and salaries increased 1.7 percent for the 12-month period ending in June 2016. In June 2015, the increase was 1.9 percent.

Benefit costs increased 3.4 percent for the 12-month period ending in June 2016, a higher rate than in the prior year when the increase was 2.7 percent. (See chart 5 and tables A, 7, 11, and 12.)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Table A.  Major series of the Employment Cost Index

(Percent change)

Category        3-month,                                   12-month,

                       seasonally adjusted                   not seasonally adjusted

                         Mar.       June                         June      Sept.     Dec.     Mar.     June

                         2016       2016                         2015      2015      2015     2016     2016

_____________________________________________________________________________

CIVILIAN WORKERS[1]

Compensation[2]         0.6       0.6                  2.0       2.0       2.0      1.9      2.3

Wages and salaries      0.7       0.6                   2.1       2.1       2.1      2.0      2.5

Benefits                       0.5        0.5                  1.8       1.8       1.7      1.7      2.0

PRIVATE INDUSTRY

Compensation[2]         0.6        0.6                  1.9       1.9       1.9      1.8      2.4

Wages and salaries      0.7        0.6                  2.2       2.1       2.1      2.0      2.6

Benefits                       0.5        0.4                  1.4       1.4       1.3      1.2      1.7

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Compensation[2]         0.5       0.5                   2.2       2.3       2.5      2.4      2.3

Wages and salaries      0.4       0.4                   1.9       1.8       1.8      1.8      1.7

Benefits                       0.6        0.6                  2.7       3.0       3.5      3.5      3.4

Employment Cost Index technical note

Table 1. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED: Employment Cost Index for total compensation, by ownership, occupational group, and industry

Table 2. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED: Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries, by ownership, occupational group, and industry

Table 3. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED: Employment Cost Index for benefits, by ownership, occupational group, and industry

Table 4. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, for civilian workers, by occupational group and industry

Table 5. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, for private industry workers, by occupational group and industry

Table 6. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, for private industry workers, by bargaining status, census region, census divisions, and area

Table 7. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, for State and local government workers, by occupational group and industry

Table 8. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries, for civilian workers, by occupational group and industry

Table 9. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries, for private industry workers, by occupational group and industry

Table 10. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries, for private industry workers, by bargaining status, region, and area

Table 11. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries, for State and local government workers, by occupational group and industry

Table 12. BENEFITS (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for benefits, by ownership, occupational group, industry, and bargaining status

Table 13. COMPENSATION AND WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, and wages and salaries, for private industry workers, by area

HTML version of the entire news release

The PDF version of the news release

News release charts

Supplemental Files Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Source: BLS