(202) 691-5902 In This Release Is Embargoed — 2006-07-28

Total compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.9 percent from March to June 2006, seasonally adjusted, following a more modest 0.6 percent gain from December 2005 to March 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Benefit costs between March and June rose 0.8 percent, greater than the gain of 0.5 percent from the previous quarter. Wages and salaries increased 0.9 percent during the quarter, compared with the 0.7 percent gain of 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).