[Economic Indicators April, 2006]
[Page Number 15]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX--PRIVATE INDUSTRY

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                                                  Index (December 2005 = 100)                               Percent change from
                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                           3 months earlier                    12 months earlier
                   Period                       Total                            -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              compensa-  Wages and  Benefits \1\    Total                               Total
                                                 tion     salaries                compensa-  Wages and  Benefits \1\  compensa-  Wages and  Benefits \1\
                                                                                     tion     salaries                   tion     salaries
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                                                                                        Not seasonally adjusted
 
                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1996:Dec....................................  .........  .........  ............  .........  .........  ............        3.1        3.4          2.0
1997:Dec....................................  .........  .........  ............  .........  .........  ............        3.4        3.9          2.3
1998:Dec....................................  .........  .........  ............  .........  .........  ............        3.5        3.9          2.4
1999:Dec....................................  .........  .........  ............  .........  .........  ............        3.4        3.5          3.4
2000:Dec....................................  .........  .........  ............  .........  .........  ............        4.4        3.9          5.6
2001:Dec r..................................       87.3       89.9         81.3   .........  .........  ............        4.1        3.8          5.2
2002:Dec r..................................       90.0       92.2         84.7   .........  .........  ............        3.1        2.6          4.2
2003:Dec r..................................       93.6       95.1         90.2   .........  .........  ............        4.0        3.1          6.5
2004:Dec r..................................       97.2       97.6         96.2   .........  .........  ............        3.8        2.6          6.7
2005:Dec r..................................      100.0      100.0        100.0   .........  .........  ............        2.9        2.5          4.0
                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                        Seasonally adjusted
                                                    Not seasonally adjusted
 
                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
2003:Mar r..................................       91.4       93.2         87.0         1.4        1.0          2.3         3.6        2.9          5.7
      June r................................       92.2       93.8         88.1          .8         .7          1.3         3.5        2.6          5.8
      Sept r................................       93.2       94.7         89.4         1.1         .9          1.5         3.9        3.0          6.3
      Dec r.................................       93.8       95.1         90.5          .7         .4          1.2         4.0        3.1          6.5
 
2004:Mar r..................................       94.9       95.7         92.9         1.2         .6          2.6         3.8        2.6          6.8
      June r................................       95.8       96.4         94.4         1.0         .7          1.6         3.9        2.7          7.3
      Sept r................................       96.7       97.2         95.4          .9         .8          1.0         3.8        2.6          6.7
      Dec r.................................       97.3       97.7         96.5          .7         .4          1.2         3.8        2.6          6.7
 
2005:Mar r..................................       98.2       98.3         98.0          .9         .7          1.5         3.5        2.7          5.5
      June r................................       98.8       98.8         98.8          .6         .5           .8         3.1        2.5          4.7
      Sept r................................       99.5       99.4         99.6          .7         .6           .9         2.9        2.3          4.5
      Dec r.................................      100.2      100.1        100.4          .7         .6           .7         2.9        2.5          4.0
 
2006:Mar ...................................      100.8      100.8        100.8          .6         .7           .4         2.6        2.4          3.0
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    \1\ Employer costs for employee 
benefits.

    Note.--The employment cost index 
is a measure of the change in the 
cost of labor, free from the 
influence of employment shifts among 
occupations and industries.
    Data exclude farm and household 
workers.
    Data for the Employment Cost 
Index have been revised. The 
revisions include rebasing the index 
numbers to December 2005 = 100 and 
the change to industry 
classification based on the 2002 
North American Industry 
Classification (NAICS) beginning 
with data for 2001. Data prior to 
2001 are based on the Standard 
Industrial Classification (SIC); 
rebased indexes on SIC basis are not 
yet available. For details on the 
revisions see Employment Cost Index, 
release dated April 28, 2006.

    Source: Department of Labor, 
    Bureau of Labor Statistics.