September 2009 Employment Cost Index

Historical release narrative reproduced from the official public-domain source. Statistical tables, standard technical appendices, administrative material and attendance rosters are omitted; formatting is adapted for reading. Figures retain the release's historical context and may have been revised. Consult the linked source for the complete document.

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.4 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending September 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Both components of compensation--wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation) and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation)-- increased the same amount, 0.4 percent.

Civilian Worker Data

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 1.5 percent for the 12-month period ending September 2009. This was smaller than the 2.9 percent increase for the 12-month period ending in September 2008. Wages and salaries increased 1.5 percent for the current 12-month period, slowing from a 3.1 percent increase for the 12-month period ending in September 2008. Benefit costs rose 1.6 percent, down from a 2.6 percent increase for the 12-month period ending September 2008.

Private Industry Worker Data

Compensation costs, wages and salaries, and benefit costs decelerated for private industry workers for the 12-month period ending September 2009, registering the smallest increases since each series began, but the differences were not statistically different from last quarter. Compensation costs increased 1.2 percent, the smallest percent change published since the series began in 1980. The wage and salary series, which began in 1975, increased 1.4 percent for the current 12-month period. The cost of benefits, which have been measured since 1980, increased 1.1 percent for the 12-month period ending September 2009. Employer costs for health benefits increased 4.7 percent for the 12-month period ending September 2009. In September 2008, the 12-month percent change was 3.9 percent.

Among occupational groups, compensation cost increases for private industry workers for the 12-month period ending September 2009 ranged from 0.8 percent for sales and office workers to 2.1 percent for service occupations.

Among industries, compensation cost increases for private industry workers for the current 12-month period ranged from 0.7 percent for information to 2.1 percent for education and health services.

Beginning with this release, estimates for selected metropolitan areas, previously published only online, are now incorporated into table 13 of this release.

For detailed information on the Employment Cost Index, see Chapter 8. National Compensation Measures of the BLS Handbook of Methods at: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch8.pdf.

BLS news releases, including the ECI, are available through an e-mail subscription service at: www.bls.gov/bls/list.htm.

Category 3-month, seasonally adjusted 12-month, not seasonally adjusted June 2009 Sep. 2009 Sep. 2008 Dec. 2008 Mar. 2009 June 2009 Sep. 2009 CIVILIAN WORKERS(1)

PRIVATE INDUSTRY

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

(1) Includes private industry and state and local government. (2) Includes wages and salaries and benefits.