(202) 691-5902 In This Release Is Embargoed — 2006-04-28

Total compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.6 percent from December 2005 to March 2006, seasonally adjusted, compared with the 0.8 percent gain from September to December 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Benefit costs between December and March rose 0.5 percent, decelerating from the gain of 0.9 percent from the previous quarter. Wages and salaries increased 0.7 percent during the quarter, the same increase as the previous quarter. 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 industry and state and local government). Beginning with this release, the Employment Cost Index has introduced a number of changes.