December 2015 Employment Cost Index — 2016-01-29

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in December 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs) increased 0.6 percent, and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation) increased 0.7 percent. (See chart 1 and tables A, 1, 2, and 3.) Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 2.0 percent for the 12-month period ending in December 2015. In December 2014, compensation costs increased 2.2 percent. Wages and salaries increased 2.1 percent for the current 12-month period, unchanged from the 12-month period ending in December 2014. Benefit costs increased 1.7 percent for the 12-month period ending in December 2015. In December 2014, the increase was 2.6 percent.