December 2009 Employment Cost Index — 2010-01-29

*** (NOTE: Employment Cost Index data from June 2009 through September 2010 have been found to contain errors in several data series and will be corrected in the public database available on the BLS website. This news release will not be corrected. The primary errors are in wage and salary data for State and local government public administration. Additional series are subject to correction as well. For further information see: www.bls.gov/bls/eci_corrections_111910.htm.) *** Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending December 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Both components of compensation--wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation) and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation)-- increased the same amount, 0.5 percent. Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 1.5 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2009. This was smaller than the 2.6 percent increase for the 12-month period ending in December 2008.