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Employment Cost Index

The National Compensation Survey produces quarterly indexes measuring change over time in labor costs, Employment Cost Index (ECI), and quarterly data measuring level of average costs per hour worked, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC).


Notices

  • 2023 Seasonal factors and seasonal revision scheduled for release with March 2023 ECI Read More »
  • Introducing 2021 fixed employment weights and 2018 SOC codes for the Employment Cost Index Read More »
  • Redesign of Employment Cost Webpages Read More »

Charts

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Latest Numbers

RSS
EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX (ECI)News Release
TOTAL COMPENSATION: 3-month % change (SA)

Civilian workers 1.1% in 3rd Qtr of 2023 Historical Data

Private industry workers 1.0% in 3rd Qtr of 2023 Historical Data

State and local government workers 1.5% in 3rd Qtr of 2023 Historical Data

TOTAL COMPENSATION: 12-month % change (NSA)

Civilian workers 4.3% in 3rd Qtr of 2023 Historical Data

Private industry workers 4.3% in 3rd Qtr of 2023 Historical Data

State and local government workers 4.8% in 3rd Qtr of 2023 Historical Data

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Videos

How the Employment Cost Index Is Used?

The Employment Cost Index, or ECI, measures changes in the cost of employees to employers over time. In the private sector, business owners and human resources professionals can use the ECI to make decisions about pay adjustments to help them stay competitive. In the public sector, the Federal Reserve and others use the ECI to gauge the health of the labor market, adjust contracts, and research the labor market. read more »

News Releases

//ECI QCT Test ZUNI3PO 08292024// Compensation costs up 0.8% Dec 2022 to Mar 2023 and...

08/29/2024

//ECI QCT Test ZUNI3PO 08292024// Compensation costs increased 0.8 percent for civilian workers, seasonally adjusted, from December 2022 to March 2023. Over the year, compensation rose 2.7 percent, wages and salaries rose 2.7 percent, and benefit costs rose 2.8 percent.
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//ECEC QCT Test ZUNI3PO 08292024// Private industry compensation costs average $38.07...

08/29/2024

//ECEC QCT Test ZUNI3PO 08292024// Wage and salary costs for private industry workers averaged $26.86 per hour.
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Next Release

The Employment Cost Index (ECI) for April 2023 is scheduled to be released on April 28, 2023 at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time.

The Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) February 2024 is scheduled to be released on February 16, 2024 at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time.

Publications

The Economics Daily

The Economics Daily article image

Compensation costs up 5.1 percent from December 2021 to December 2022

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 5.1 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2022, compared with an increase of 4.0 percent for the 12 months ending December 2021. read more »

Monthly Labor Review

Monthly Labor Review article image

The Linked Employment Cost Index: a first look and estimation methodology

This article provides a first look at the Linked Employment Cost Index, an index the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is evaluating for potential publication. read more »