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Compensation costs for civilian workers up 2.2 percent for the year ending December 2014

February 03, 2015

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 2.2 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2014. In December 2013, the increase in compensation costs was 2.0 percent. Before 2008, the 12-month changes in compensation costs were typically above 3.0 percent. Since then, they have been lower than 3.0 percent.

Percentage change in total compensation, wages and salaries, and benefits costs for civilian workers, 12 months ending in December, 2004–2014
Year Total compensation Wages and salaries Benefits

2004

3.7 2.5 6.7

2005

3.1 2.6 4.5

2006

3.3 3.2 3.6

2007

3.3 3.4 3.1

2008

2.6 2.7 2.2

2009

1.4 1.5 1.5

2010

2.0 1.6 2.9

2011

2.0 1.4 3.2

2012

1.9 1.7 2.4

2013

2.0 1.9 2.2

2014

2.2 2.1 2.6

Wages and salaries, which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs, increased 2.1 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2014. That compares with a 1.9-percent increase from December 2012 to December 2013. Before 2008, the 12-month changes in wages and salaries were all more than 2.0 percent. Since 2008, the over-the-year changes in wages and salaries have been less than 2.0 percent except for the two most recent 12-month periods ending in September 2014 and December 2014.

The cost of benefits, which makes up the remaining 30 percent of compensation, increased 2.6 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2014. That compares with a 2.2-percent increase from December 2012 to December 2013. The 12-month changes in benefits costs usually were higher before 2008 than in recent years.

These data are from the Employment Cost Trends program. To learn more, see “Employment Cost Index — December 2014” (HTML) (PDF). Civilian workers are defined as all private industry workers plus all state and local government workers.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Compensation costs for civilian workers up 2.2 percent for the year ending December 2014 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/compensation-costs-for-civilian-workers-up-2-point-2-percent-for-year-ended-dec-2014.htm (visited April 23, 2024).

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