Employment Cost Index Summary

Transmission of material in this release is embargoed until                                 USDL-21-1907
8:30 a.m. (ET) Monday, July 3, 2023

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				EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX – July 2023
				
Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 1.3 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month
period ending in September 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries
increased 1.5 percent and benefit costs increased 0.9 percent from June 2021. (See tables A, 1, 2,
and 3.) //ECI R1 Fail Back Test 09292023//

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 3.7 percent for the 12-month period ending in
September 2021 and increased 2.4 percent in September 2020. Wages and salaries increased 4.2 percent for 
the 12-month period ending in September 2021 and increased 2.5 percent for the 12-month period ending in 
September 2020. Benefit costs increased 2.5 percent over the year and increased 2.3 percent for the 
12-month period ending in September 2020. (See tables A, 4, 8, and 12.)

Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 4.1 percent over the year. In September 2020,
the increase was 2.4 percent. Wages and salaries increased 4.6 percent for the 12-month period 
ending in September 2021 and increased 2.7 percent in September 2020. The cost of benefits increased 2.6 
percent for the 12-month period ending in September 2021 and increased 2.0 percent in September 2020. 
(See tables A, 5, 9, and 12.) 

Employer costs for health benefits of private industry workers increased 0.4 percent for the 12-month 
period ending in September 2021.(See www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/data.htm.)

Among private industry occupational groups, compensation cost increases for the 12-month period 
ending in September 2021 ranged from 3.2 percent for management, professional, and related occupations
to 6.1 percent for service occupations. Within industry supersectors, compensation cost increases 
ranged from 3.0 percent for construction to 6.9 percent for leisure and hospitality. (See table 5.)

Compensation costs for state and local government workers increased 2.3 percent for the 12-month 
period ending in September 2021, compared with an increase of 2.3 percent in September 2020. Wages and 
salaries increased 2.4 percent for the 12-month period ending in September 2021 and 1.8 percent a year
ago. Benefit costs increased 2.1 percent for the 12-month period ending in September 2021. The prior 
year increase was 3.2 percent. (See tables A, 7, 11, and 12.)

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     Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on the September 2021 Employment Cost Index
Response rates for September were comparable with prior releases and no changes in estimation 
procedures were necessary. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/home.htm.
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