March 2019 Employment Cost Index — 2019-04-30

(NOTE: This news release was reissued on April 30, 2019. Tables A, 1, 2, and 3 were corrected to show revised seasonally adjusted data for previous quarters.) Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.7 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in March 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs) increased 0.7 percent and benefit costs (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation) also increased 0.7 percent from December 2018. (See tables A, 1, 2, and 3.) Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 2.8 percent for the 12-month period ending in March 2019 compared with a compensation costs increase of 2.7 percent in March 2018. Wages and salaries increased 2.9 percent for the 12- month period ending in March 2019 and increased 2.7 percent for the 12-month period ending in March 2018.