(202) 691-5902 In This Release Is Embargoed — 2006-01-31

Total compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.8 percent from September to December 2005, seasonally adjusted, the same increase that occurred between June and September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Benefit costs between September and December rose 1.1 percent and continued to outpace the gain in wages and salaries for civilian workers, 0.8 percent. The Employment Cost Index (ECI), a component of the National Compensation Survey, measures quarterly changes in compensation costs, which include wages, salaries, and employer costs for employee benefits for civilian workers (nonfarm private and State and local government). Compensation cost gains for civilian, private sector, and State and local government workers were identical in the September to December quarter to their respective gains in the prior quarter. Civilian and private industry compensation costs rose 0.8 percent. For State and local government workers, compensation costs rose 1.1 percent.