December 2019 Employment Cost Index — 2020-01-31

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.7 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in December 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries increased 0.7 percent and benefit costs increased 0.5 percent from September 2019. (See tables A, 1, 2, and 3.) Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 2.7 percent for the 12-month period ending in December 2019, compared to 2.9 percent in December 2018. Wages and salaries increased 2.9 percent over the year and increased 3.1 percent for the 12-month period ending in December 2018. Benefit costs increased 2.2 percent for the 12-month period ending in December 2019. In December 2018, the increase was 2.8 percent. (See tables A, 4, 8, and 12.) Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 2.7 percent over the year, compared with a compensation cost increase of 3.0 percent in December 2018.