Technical contact: USDL: 97-143 Wayne Shelly 202/606-6199 TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL Media contact: IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED Kathryn Hoyle 202/606-5902 UNTIL 8:30 A.M. (EDT), TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1997 Internet: http://stats.bls.gov/ecthome.htm EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX -MARCH 1997 The Employment Cost Index (ECI) for March 1997 was 132.0 (June 1989=100), an increase of 2.9 percent from March 1996, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The ECI measures changes in compensation costs, which include wages, salaries, and employer costs for employee benefits. Quarterly changes, seasonally adjusted On a seasonally adjusted basis, compensation costs for civilian workers (private industry plus state and local government) increased 0.6 percent during the December 1996-March 1997 period. Three-month increases in compensation costs have ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 percent for the last four years. Wages and salaries increased 0.9 percent during the December 1996-March 1997 period. The increase for the September-December 1996 period was 0.8 percent. Benefit costs increased 0.1 percent in the December 1996-March 1997 period; the same as the quarterly increase a year earlier in the December 1995-March 1996 period. In September-December 1996, these costs increased 0.7 percent. Table A. Percent changes in Employment Cost Index for civilian workers Seasonally adjusted Unadjusted 3-months ended 12-months Compensation June Sep. Dec. Mar. June Sep. Dec. Mar. ended Component 1995 1995 1995 1996 1996 1996 1996 1997 Mar. 1997 Compensation costs 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.6 0.8 0.6 2.9 Wages and salaries 0.7 0.7 0.6 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.9 3.3 Benefit costs 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.1 2.0 This release includes annual revisions in seasonally adjusted Employment Cost Indexes for compensation costs, wages and salaries, and benefit costs. Seasonally adjusted indexes for 1992-1996 were revised to reflect updated seasonal factors and are available upon request by calling (202) 606-6199 or sending e-mail to ocltinfo@bls.gov. The seasonal factors for 1997 will be published in the Summer 1997 issue of the BLS periodical, Compensation and Working Conditions. Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 0.6 percent during the December 1996-March 1997 period. Over the past two years, compensation increases have ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 percent in private industry. Wages and salaries increased 0.9 percent in March; in December, the increase was 0.8 percent. Benefit costs were unchanged in March. (See table 1.) Compensation costs for state and local government workers increased 0.5 percent in the December 1996-March 1997 period compared with a 0.8 percent increase in the previous quarter. Wages and salaries, which have increased at a three-month rate of 0.6 to 0.9 percent for the last four years, rose 0.6 percent. Benefit costs increased 0.5 percent; in December, there was a 0.7 percent increase in benefit costs. Over-the-year changes, not seasonally adjusted Compensation costs for civilian workers (not seasonally adjusted) increased 2.9 percent for the year that ended in March 1997; such costs rose 2.8 percent during the 12-month period ended in March 1996. (See table 2.) In private industry, compensation costs increased 3.0 percent for the year that ended in March 1997. (See table 3.) In state and local government, these costs increased 2.5 percent over the year. (See table 2.) In private industry, wages and salaries increased 3.4 percent for the 12-month period that ended in March 1997. For the year that ended in March 1996, the increase was 3.2 percent. (See table 6.) Benefit costs for private industry workers increased 2.0 percent in the year ended in March 1997, compared with an increase of 1.6 percent the previous year. Benefit cost increases have remained low because of decreases in state unemployment insurance and workers' compensation, as well as the continued moderation in health insurance costs. (See table 8 and chart A.) Over the year ended in March 1997, compensation cost increases in private industry were 3.2 percent for white- collar workers, 2.4 percent for blue-collar workers, and 3.2 percent for service occupations. Among occupational groups, increases ranged from 1.8 percent for transportation and material moving occupations to 4.2 percent for sales occupations. For the year ended in March 1997, compensation cost gains in private industry were 2.5 percent for goods- producing and 3.1 percent for service-producing industries. Among the specific industries, increases ranged from 0.3 percent for aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721) to 4.2 percent for wholesale trade. Over-the-year compensation cost increases in private industry were 3.2 percent for nonunion workers and 1.9 percent for union workers. In goods-producing industries, the difference was statistically significant, with union compensation increasing 1.6 percent and nonunion increasing 2.9 percent. In the service-producing industries, the difference was not statistically significant. (See table 4.) __________________________________________________________ ECI data for December 1995 and March 1996 were corrected from the originally published estimates. These corrections were introduced with the release of June 1996 ECI data. Data for aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721) that formerly appeared in table 9 now appear in the tables that cover the individual compensation components. Thus, compensation estimates appear in table 3, wages and salaries appear in table 6, and benefits appear in table 8. In each of the tables, aircraft manufacturing is listed as a subcategory of manufacturing. __________________________________________________________ The ECI for June 1997 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, July 29, 1997, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT). BLS Data Available on the World Wide Web and Fax On Demand ECI data, as well as other data produced by BLS, are now available on the World Wide Web. The ECI home page address is: http://stats.bls.gov/ecthome.htm. The BLS home page address is: http://stats.bls.gov. There is no charge from BLS for using this service; however, there may be a charge from your Internet service provider. To access data using GOPHER or Anonymous FTP, use the Internet address: stats.bls.gov. For technical assistance in using the BLS Internet site, send e-mail to: labstat.helpdesk@bls.gov. For ECI data requests, send e-mail to: ocltinfo@bls.gov. News releases and other information are available from the BLS fax-on-demand service. To request a document fax, call 202-606-6325. To request a catalog of available documents, select option 2 at the initial voice prompt. To request data found in this news release, enter the following codes: Text 4110 Tables 1-4 4115 Tables 5-7 4120 Table 8 4125 Explanatory notes 4190 Table 1. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED: Employment Cost Index for total compensation, wages and salaries, and benefit costs, by industry and occupational group Indexes (June Percent changes for 3-months ended 1989=100) Series Dec. Mar. June Sep. Dec. Mar. June Sep. Dec. Mar. 1996 1997 1995 1995 1995 1996 1996 1996 1996 1997 COMPENSATION Civilian workers....................... 131.0 131.8 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.6 0.8 0.6 State and local government........... 132.5 133.2 .8 .6 .7 .6 .6 .6 .8 .5 Private industry workers............. 130.6 131.4 .6 .6 .7 .6 .9 .7 .7 .6 White-collar occupations .......... 131.9 133.0 .7 .6 .7 .9 .8 .8 .7 .8 Blue-collar occupations ........... 129.2 129.6 .6 .6 .6 .6 .7 .4 .9 .3 Service occupations................ 128.4 129.5 .6 .5 .3 .5 .7 .6 .9 .9 Goods-producing industries (1)..... 131.1 131.4 .6 .6 .8 .4 .9 .7 .6 .2 Construction .................... 126.7 127.4 .6 .7 .7 .6 .5 .4 .9 .6 Manufacturing.................... 132.2 132.4 .6 .6 .8 .5 .9 .8 .7 .2 Durables....................... 132.8 132.9 .6 .5 .8 .3 1.2 .6 .7 .1 Nondurables.................... 131.1 131.5 .6 .6 1.0 .7 .5 1.2 .7 .3 Service-producing industries (2)... 130.4 131.5 .7 .6 .6 .8 .8 .7 .8 .8 Transportation and public utilities.................... 130.6 131.0 .8 1.0 .7 .6 .7 .6 1.0 .3 Wholesale trade.................. 131.0 133.2 .9 1.3 .8 .6 .9 .7 .8 1.7 Retail trade..................... 127.6 128.7 .4 .7 .4 1.5 -.1 1.1 1.3 .9 Finance, insurance, and real estate (3)................... 126.0 128.6 1.3 .7 .3 1.1 1.4 .3 -.6 2.1 Services......................... 133.6 134.5 .6 .5 .5 .8 .8 .7 .8 .7 Nonmanufacturing industries ....... 130.1 131.0 .7 .7 .6 .7 .8 .7 .9 .7 WAGES AND SALARIES Civilian workers....................... 128.0 129.1 0.7 0.7 0.6 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.9 State and local government........... 130.6 131.4 .8 .6 .8 .6 .8 .6 .8 .6 Private industry workers............. 127.4 128.5 .7 .7 .7 1.0 .9 .7 .8 .9 White-collar occupations .......... 128.9 130.2 .7 .7 .7 1.1 .9 .8 .8 1.0 Blue-collar occupations (3)........ 125.1 126.0 .9 .6 .5 .9 1.0 .5 .6 .7 Service occupations................ 125.5 126.6 .6 .6 .4 .7 .7 .9 1.0 .9 Goods-producing industries (1)(3).. 126.8 127.5 .8 .6 .7 .8 1.0 .8 .6 .6 Construction .................... 120.9 122.3 .4 .8 .9 .9 .8 .5 .7 1.2 Manufacturing (3)................ 128.4 129.1 .8 .5 .6 .9 .9 .9 .5 .5 Durables (3)................... 128.4 129.0 .8 .6 .6 .6 1.1 .9 .5 .5 Nondurables ................... 128.7 129.2 0.7 0.6 1.0 0.9 0.5 1.1 0.8 0.4 Service-producing industries (2)... 127.7 129.0 .7 .8 .7 1.1 .8 .7 .9 1.0 Transportation and public utilities.................... 127.0 128.1 .7 .8 .6 .6 .5 .7 .8 .9 Wholesale trade.................. 129.5 131.8 .9 1.4 1.1 .9 .9 .7 .7 1.8 Retail trade..................... 125.8 127.4 .4 .7 .2 2.1 -.1 1.0 1.3 1.3 Finance, insurance, and real estate (3)................... 122.2 124.5 1.7 .9 .3 1.2 1.8 .2 .0 1.9 Services......................... 130.6 131.6 .6 .6 .6 1.0 1.1 .7 .7 .8 Nonmanufacturing industries ....... 127.0 128.2 .7 .8 .7 1.0 .9 .6 1.0 .9 BENEFIT COSTS Civilian workers ...................... 138.3 138.5 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.1 State and local government .......... 136.8 137.5 1.0 .5 .5 .7 .4 .4 .7 .5 Private industry workers............. 138.7 138.7 .5 .5 .5 .0 .7 .5 .7 .0 White-collar occupations........... 140.1 140.5 .7 .4 .5 .1 .7 .8 .5 .3 Blue-collar occupations ........... 137.2 137.0 .3 .5 .6 .0 .7 .2 .7 -.1 Service occupations................ 137.2 138.4 .4 .2 .1 -.1 .3 .1 .6 .9 Goods-producing industries (1)..... 140.2 139.4 .2 .4 1.0 -.2 .8 .4 .9 -.6 Manufacturing.................... 140.2 139.4 .1 .5 1.1 -.1 .9 .6 .8 -.6 Service-producing industries (2)... 137.8 138.3 .8 .4 .4 .1 .6 .7 .6 .4 Nonmanufacturing industries........ 138.3 138.8 .7 .5 .3 .1 .5 .5 .7 .4 1 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. 3 No identifiable seasonality was found for this series. Table 2. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, civilian and state and local government workers, by industry and occupational group Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes for Series 3 months ended 12 months ended Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 Mar. Dec. Mar. Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 1996 1996 1997 Civilian workers .......................... 128.3 130.9 132.0 0.9 0.5 0.8 2.8 2.9 2.9 Excluding sales.................... 128.6 131.2 132.1 .9 .5 .7 2.7 2.9 2.7 Workers, by occupational group White-collar occupations............... 129.1 131.9 133.1 .9 .5 .9 2.9 3.0 3.1 Excluding sales.................... 129.7 132.4 133.5 .9 .4 .8 2.7 3.0 2.9 Professional specialty and technical. 130.6 133.1 133.7 .9 .4 .5 2.8 2.9 2.4 Executive, administrative, and managerial....................... 128.5 131.5 133.2 .9 .3 1.3 2.6 3.2 3.7 Administrative support, including clerical......................... 130.1 132.6 133.6 .9 .5 .8 2.8 2.8 2.7 Blue-collar occupations................ 126.7 129.1 129.8 .7 .6 .5 2.5 2.6 2.4 Service occupations.................... 128.0 131.0 132.0 .5 1.0 .8 2.4 2.8 3.1 Workers, by industry division Goods-producing (1).................... 128.3 130.9 131.5 .7 .6 .5 2.4 2.7 2.5 Manufacturing........................ 129.3 132.1 132.6 .8 .6 .4 2.5 3.0 2.6 Service-producing (2).................. 128.2 130.9 132.1 .9 .5 .9 2.9 3.0 3.0 Services............................. 130.4 133.2 134.1 .8 .5 .7 2.5 2.9 2.8 Health services.................... 132.5 134.4 135.2 .4 .2 .6 2.4 1.8 2.0 Hospitals........................ 132.3 133.8 134.2 .7 .1 .3 2.7 1.8 1.4 Educational services............... 130.5 133.9 134.0 .2 .5 .1 2.8 2.8 2.7 Public administration ............... 129.2 131.8 133.0 .7 .8 .9 3.0 2.7 2.9 Nonmanufacturing....................... 127.9 130.5 131.7 .9 .5 .9 2.8 2.9 3.0 State and local government workers......... 129.9 132.7 133.2 .5 .6 .4 2.8 2.6 2.5 Workers, by occupational group White-collar occupations............... 129.6 132.5 132.9 .4 .5 .3 2.7 2.6 2.5 Professional specialty and technical. 129.1 132.3 132.5 .2 .5 .2 2.5 2.7 2.6 Executive, administrative, and managerial....................... 130.7 132.9 134.1 .6 .7 .9 3.0 2.3 2.6 Administrative support, including clerical......................... 130.0 133.0 133.3 .7 .9 .2 2.9 3.0 2.5 Blue-collar occupations................ 129.0 131.2 132.1 .8 .7 .7 2.9 2.5 2.4 Service occupations.................... 131.9 134.5 135.6 .7 .7 .8 3.4 2.7 2.8 Workers, by industry division Services............................... 130.0 133.1 133.2 .3 .5 .1 2.6 2.7 2.5 Excluding schools (3).............. 130.3 132.0 132.5 .7 .1 .4 3.1 2.0 1.7 Health services...................... 132.5 134.1 134.5 .7 .1 .3 3.2 1.9 1.5 Hospitals.......................... 132.6 134.3 134.8 .7 .1 .4 3.3 2.0 1.7 Educational services................. 129.7 133.0 133.1 .2 .5 .1 2.5 2.8 2.6 Schools............................ 130.0 133.4 133.4 .2 .6 .0 2.5 2.8 2.6 Elementary and secondary......... 130.2 133.1 133.1 .1 .4 .0 2.4 2.3 2.2 Colleges and universities........ 129.4 134.0 134.3 .5 1.1 .2 2.7 4.1 3.8 Public administration ................. 129.2 131.8 133.0 .7 .8 .9 3.0 2.7 2.9 1 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; service industries; and public administration. 3 Formerly called hospitals and other services. Table 3. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, private industry workers, by industry and occupational group Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes for Series 3 months ended 12 months ended Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 Mar. Dec. Mar. Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 1996 1996 1997 Private industry workers .................... 127.9 130.6 131.7 0.9 0.6 0.8 2.7 3.1 3.0 Excluding sales...................... 128.3 130.8 131.9 .9 .5 .8 2.6 2.9 2.8 White-collar occupations................. 129.0 131.7 133.1 1.1 .5 1.1 3.0 3.2 3.2 Excluding sales...................... 129.9 132.5 133.7 1.0 .4 .9 2.9 3.0 2.9 Professional specialty and technical... 131.6 133.7 134.6 1.3 .3 .7 3.1 2.9 2.3 Executive, administrative, and managerial......................... 128.0 131.3 133.0 .9 .3 1.3 2.5 3.5 3.9 Sales.................................. 124.8 128.1 130.1 1.3 1.1 1.6 3.8 4.0 4.2 Administrative support, including clerical........................... 130.1 132.5 133.7 .9 .4 .9 2.8 2.7 2.8 Blue-collar occupations.................. 126.6 129.0 129.6 .8 .7 .5 2.5 2.7 2.4 Precision production, craft, and repair 126.5 129.1 129.6 .6 .7 .4 2.5 2.7 2.5 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..................... 127.1 129.5 130.0 .7 .6 .4 2.3 2.6 2.3 Transportation and material moving..... 123.9 125.2 126.1 .7 .2 .7 1.7 1.8 1.8 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.............. 128.5 131.3 132.8 1.3 1.0 1.1 3.5 3.5 3.3 Service occupations...................... 125.8 128.9 129.8 .5 1.2 .7 1.9 3.0 3.2 Production and nonsupervisory occupations (1)....................... 127.5 130.0 131.1 1.0 .6 .8 2.7 2.9 2.8 Goods-producing industries (2)............. 128.2 130.9 131.4 .7 .6 .4 2.3 2.8 2.5 Excluding sales occupations.......... 128.0 130.5 131.1 .8 .5 .5 2.5 2.8 2.4 White-collar occupations............... 130.0 132.9 133.5 .8 .5 .5 2.2 3.0 2.7 Excluding sales...................... 129.4 132.1 132.6 .9 .5 .4 2.5 3.0 2.5 Blue-collar occupations................ 127.1 129.6 130.2 .6 .5 .5 2.4 2.6 2.4 Construction............................. 124.3 126.4 127.2 .7 .4 .6 2.6 2.4 2.3 Manufacturing............................ 129.3 132.1 132.6 .8 .6 .4 2.5 3.0 2.6 White-collar occupations............. 130.5 133.6 133.9 .8 .6 .2 2.4 3.2 2.6 Excluding sales.................... 129.5 132.5 132.8 .9 .5 .2 2.7 3.3 2.5 Blue-collar occupations.............. 128.4 131.1 131.7 .7 .7 .5 2.5 2.8 2.6 Durables............................... 129.7 132.6 133.0 .5 .5 .3 2.1 2.8 2.5 Aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721).... 136.9 137.4 137.3 2.3 -.6 -.1 4.8 2.7 .3 White-collar occupations........... 132.4 133.7 133.5 2.6 -.1 -.1 4.5 3.6 .8 Blue-collar occupations............ 143.3 142.3 142.3 2.0 -1.5 .0 5.6 1.3 -.7 Nondurables............................ 128.3 131.0 131.7 1.0 .8 .5 2.9 3.1 2.7 Service-producing industries (3)........... 127.6 130.2 131.6 1.1 .5 1.1 3.0 3.2 3.1 Excluding sales occupations.......... 128.4 130.9 132.2 .9 .5 1.0 2.7 2.9 3.0 White-collar occupations............... 128.5 131.1 132.7 1.1 .4 1.2 3.1 3.1 3.3 Excluding sales...................... 130.0 132.6 134.0 1.0 .3 1.1 2.8 3.0 3.1 Blue-collar occupations................ 125.2 127.3 128.2 1.0 .7 .7 2.5 2.7 2.4 Service occupations.................... 125.3 128.6 129.5 .4 1.2 .7 1.9 3.0 3.4 Transportation and public utilities...... 127.9 130.4 131.3 1.0 0.9 0.7 3.1 3.0 2.7 Transportation....................... 126.9 129.2 130.6 1.4 .8 1.1 3.8 3.3 2.9 Public utilities..................... 128.9 131.7 132.0 .3 1.0 .2 2.2 2.5 2.4 Communications..................... 128.0 131.1 130.2 -.2 1.5 -.7 1.3 2.2 1.7 Electric, gas, and sanitary services....................... 130.1 132.4 134.2 1.1 .3 1.4 3.3 2.9 3.2 Wholesale and retail trade............... 125.5 128.6 130.1 1.0 .9 1.2 3.1 3.5 3.7 Excluding sales occupations......... 125.9 129.0 130.4 .7 .8 1.1 2.9 3.2 3.6 Wholesale trade........................ 127.5 130.9 132.9 .4 .8 1.5 3.5 3.1 4.2 Excluding sales occupations......... 127.4 130.9 132.6 .2 .7 1.3 2.4 3.0 4.1 Retail trade........................... 124.5 127.4 128.5 1.5 1.0 .9 3.0 3.8 3.2 General merchandise stores........... 122.4 126.3 126.4 .6 1.4 .1 1.9 3.8 3.3 Food stores.......................... 123.6 128.4 128.2 1.0 1.1 -.2 2.3 4.9 3.7 Finance, insurance, and real estate...... 124.5 126.0 128.6 1.1 -.6 2.1 3.6 2.4 3.3 Excluding sales occupations.......... 127.5 129.2 131.5 1.4 -.4 1.8 3.1 2.8 3.1 Banking, savings and loan, and other credit agencies..................... 126.9 128.0 130.6 2.0 -1.8 2.0 2.8 2.9 2.9 Insurance.............................. 127.6 129.6 131.9 1.4 .2 1.8 3.3 2.9 3.4 Excluding sales occupations.......... 132.1 133.5 136.0 1.5 .1 1.9 3.5 2.5 3.0 Services................................. 130.7 133.4 134.6 1.0 .5 .9 2.5 3.1 3.0 Business services...................... 128.9 131.8 133.3 2.1 1.2 1.1 3.5 4.4 3.4 Health services........................ 132.6 134.5 135.5 .3 .2 .7 2.2 1.7 2.2 Hospitals............................ 132.2 133.7 134.0 .7 .2 .2 2.6 1.8 1.4 Nursing homes........................ - - - .5 .9 .7 2.7 2.6 2.8 Educational services................... 134.4 138.0 138.5 .5 .4 .4 4.3 3.2 3.1 Colleges and universities............ 135.9 139.1 139.5 .5 .4 .3 5.1 2.9 2.6 Nonmanufacturing industries.................. 127.2 129.8 131.1 1.0 .5 1.0 2.8 3.1 3.1 White-collar occupations................. 128.5 131.1 132.7 1.2 .5 1.2 3.0 3.2 3.3 Excluding sales....................... 130.0 132.5 134.0 1.1 .3 1.1 2.8 3.0 3.1 Blue-collar occupations.................. 124.6 126.7 127.5 .7 .6 .6 2.6 2.4 2.3 Service occupations...................... 125.3 128.6 129.4 .5 1.3 .6 1.9 3.1 3.3 1 This series has the same industry and occupational coverage as the Hourly Earnings Index, which was discontinued in January 1989. 2 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 3 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. - Data not available. Table 4. COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for total compensation, private industry workers, by bargaining status and area size Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes for Series 3 months ended 12 months ended Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 Mar. Dec. Mar. Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 1996 1996 1997 Workers, by bargaining status Union...................................... 128.5 130.8 131.0 0.6 0.5 0.2 2.7 2.4 1.9 Blue-collar occupations................ 126.8 128.9 128.9 .4 .5 .0 2.3 2.1 1.7 Goods-producing industries (1)........... 127.9 129.8 130.0 .3 .5 .2 2.2 1.8 1.6 Service-producing industries (2)......... 129.0 131.7 131.9 .9 .5 .2 3.4 3.0 2.2 Manufacturing............................ 128.8 130.6 130.8 .5 .6 .2 2.0 2.0 1.6 Blue-collar occupations.............. 128.3 130.1 130.5 .4 .5 .3 1.7 1.8 1.7 Nonmanufacturing......................... 128.0 130.4 130.6 .7 .4 .2 3.2 2.6 2.0 Nonunion................................... 127.7 130.4 131.8 .9 .5 1.1 2.7 3.1 3.2 Blue-collar occupations................ 126.3 128.9 129.9 1.0 .9 .8 2.7 3.0 2.9 Goods-producing industries (1)........... 128.3 131.3 132.0 .9 .7 .5 2.5 3.2 2.9 Service-producing industries (2)......... 127.3 129.9 131.5 1.0 .5 1.2 2.8 3.1 3.3 Manufacturing ........................... 129.3 132.5 133.1 .8 .6 .5 2.5 3.3 2.9 Blue-collar occupations.............. 128.1 131.4 132.2 .9 .8 .6 2.9 3.5 3.2 Nonmanufacturing ........................ 127.0 129.6 131.1 1.0 .5 1.2 2.8 3.1 3.2 Workers, by region (3) Northeast.................................. 128.9 131.1 132.2 .9 .4 .8 2.6 2.6 2.6 South...................................... 127.0 129.7 130.8 1.1 .7 .8 2.7 3.3 3.0 Midwest ................................... 129.5 132.1 133.3 .9 .6 .9 2.9 3.0 2.9 West....................................... 125.9 128.9 130.3 .7 .5 1.1 2.7 3.1 3.5 Workers, by area size Metropolitan areas......................... 128.0 130.6 131.7 .9 .5 .8 2.8 3.0 2.9 Other areas................................ 127.2 130.2 131.4 .6 1.2 .9 1.9 2.9 3.3 1 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. 3 The regional coverage is as follows: NortheastŠConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; SouthŠAlabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; MidwestŠIllinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; and WestŠAlaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Table 5. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries only, civilian and state and local government workers, by industry and occupational group Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes for Series 3 months ended 12 months ended Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 Mar. Dec. Mar. Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 1996 1996 1997 Civilian workers .......................... 125.1 128.0 129.2 1.0 0.6 0.9 3.1 3.3 3.3 Excluding sales.................... 125.3 128.1 129.2 .9 .5 .9 3.0 3.1 3.1 Workers, by occupational group White-collar occupations............... 126.3 129.3 130.6 1.0 .5 1.0 3.2 3.4 3.4 Excluding sales.................... 127.0 129.9 131.0 1.0 .4 .8 3.1 3.3 3.1 Professional specialty and technical. 128.0 130.7 131.4 .9 .4 .5 3.1 3.0 2.7 Executive, administrative, and managerial....................... 126.2 129.4 131.0 1.2 .3 1.2 3.3 3.8 3.8 Administrative support, including clerical......................... 126.4 129.1 130.4 1.0 .5 1.0 2.9 3.1 3.2 Blue-collar occupations................ 122.8 125.4 126.2 .9 .7 .6 3.0 3.0 2.8 Service occupations.................... 124.2 127.6 128.6 .6 1.1 .8 2.5 3.4 3.5 Workers, by industry division Goods-producing (1).................... 123.9 126.8 127.6 .8 .6 .6 2.8 3.2 3.0 Manufacturing........................ 125.4 128.4 129.1 .9 .5 .5 2.9 3.3 3.0 Service-producing (2).................. 125.6 128.5 129.8 1.0 .6 1.0 3.2 3.4 3.3 Services............................. 128.0 131.1 132.0 .9 .6 .7 2.9 3.3 3.1 Health services.................... 129.3 131.4 132.4 .7 .5 .8 2.5 2.3 2.4 Hospitals........................ 128.6 130.5 131.0 .6 .4 .4 2.5 2.1 1.9 Educational services............... 128.8 132.3 132.5 .2 .5 .2 3.0 3.0 2.9 Public administration ............... 124.9 127.7 128.9 .6 .9 .9 2.5 2.9 3.2 Nonmanufacturing....................... 125.0 127.8 129.1 1.1 .6 1.0 3.2 3.3 3.3 State and local government workers......... 127.8 130.9 131.4 .4 .6 .4 2.8 2.8 2.8 Workers, by occupational group White-collar occupations............... 127.9 131.1 131.4 .4 .6 .2 2.8 2.9 2.7 Professional specialty and technical. 128.3 131.7 131.9 .2 .5 .2 2.8 2.9 2.8 Executive, administrative, and managerial....................... 127.7 130.2 131.3 .6 .7 .8 2.9 2.6 2.8 Administrative support, including clerical......................... 125.8 129.0 129.2 .6 1.0 .2 2.7 3.1 2.7 Blue-collar occupations................ 126.6 128.8 129.6 .7 .7 .6 2.8 2.5 2.4 Service occupations.................... 128.1 131.0 132.4 .6 .7 1.1 2.8 2.9 3.4 Workers, by industry division Services............................... 128.6 131.9 132.1 .3 .5 .2 3.0 2.9 2.7 Excluding schools (3).............. 128.2 130.5 131.2 .6 .3 .5 2.6 2.4 2.3 Health services...................... 129.3 131.4 132.1 .5 .2 .5 2.6 2.2 2.2 Hospitals.......................... 129.1 131.3 131.9 .5 .3 .5 2.6 2.3 2.2 Educational services................. 128.5 132.0 132.1 .2 .5 .1 3.0 2.9 2.8 Schools............................ 128.7 132.2 132.2 .2 .6 .0 3.0 3.0 2.7 Elementary and secondary......... 129.3 132.4 132.4 .1 .3 .0 3.0 2.5 2.4 Colleges and universities........ 126.8 131.2 131.5 .7 1.1 .2 2.9 4.2 3.7 Public administration ................. 124.9 127.7 128.9 .6 .9 .9 2.5 2.9 3.2 1 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; service industries; and public administration. 3 Formerly called hospitals and other services. Table 6. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries only, private industry workers, by industry and occupational group Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes for Series 3 months ended 12 months ended Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 Mar. Dec. Mar. Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 1996 1996 1997 Private industry workers .................... 124.4 127.3 128.6 1.1 0.6 1.0 3.2 3.4 3.4 Excluding sales...................... 124.7 127.5 128.6 1.1 .6 .9 3.1 3.3 3.1 White-collar occupations................. 125.8 128.7 130.2 1.2 .5 1.2 3.4 3.5 3.5 Excluding sales...................... 126.7 129.4 130.8 1.2 .3 1.1 3.2 3.4 3.2 Professional specialty and technical... 127.8 129.9 131.0 1.3 .2 .8 3.3 3.0 2.5 Executive, administrative, and managerial......................... 125.9 129.3 131.0 1.2 .3 1.3 3.3 3.9 4.1 Sales.................................. 122.0 125.9 127.8 1.3 1.6 1.5 4.4 4.6 4.8 Administrative support, including clerical........................... 126.5 129.2 130.6 1.0 .5 1.1 2.9 3.1 3.2 Blue-collar occupations.................. 122.5 125.1 126.0 .9 .6 .7 2.9 3.0 2.9 Precision production, craft, and repair 122.4 125.1 125.8 .8 .7 .6 3.0 3.0 2.8 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..................... 123.4 126.4 127.2 .9 .8 .6 3.2 3.4 3.1 Transportation and material moving..... 120.0 121.1 122.3 1.2 .1 1.0 2.6 2.1 1.9 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.............. 124.2 127.1 128.4 1.3 1.0 1.0 3.4 3.7 3.4 Service occupations...................... 122.2 125.7 126.6 .7 1.3 .7 2.3 3.5 3.6 Production and nonsupervisory occupations (1)....................... 123.7 126.5 127.7 1.1 .7 .9 3.2 3.3 3.2 Goods-producing industries (2)............. 123.9 126.8 127.5 .8 .6 .6 2.9 3.2 2.9 Excluding sales occupations.......... 123.5 126.3 127.0 .9 .5 .6 3.0 3.2 2.8 White-collar occupations............... 126.2 129.1 130.0 .7 .4 .7 2.6 3.0 3.0 Excluding sales...................... 125.3 128.1 128.9 .9 .3 .6 2.9 3.1 2.9 Blue-collar occupations................ 122.4 125.3 126.0 .8 .6 .6 3.0 3.2 2.9 Construction............................. 118.3 120.8 122.0 .8 .3 1.0 3.0 2.9 3.1 Manufacturing............................ 125.4 128.4 129.1 .9 .5 .5 2.9 3.3 3.0 White-collar occupations............. 127.1 130.1 130.6 .8 .4 .4 2.6 3.2 2.8 Excluding sales.................... 126.0 128.9 129.3 1.0 .4 .3 2.9 3.3 2.6 Blue-collar occupations.............. 124.2 127.3 128.0 .9 .8 .5 3.2 3.4 3.1 Durables............................... 125.1 128.4 129.0 .6 .5 .5 2.6 3.3 3.1 Aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721).... 129.0 130.9 132.0 .7 .2 .8 2.6 2.2 2.3 White-collar occupations........... 124.1 126.5 127.8 .7 .3 1.0 2.6 2.7 3.0 Blue-collar occupations............ 136.1 137.1 137.7 .7 .1 .4 2.6 1.5 1.2 Nondurables............................ 125.8 128.5 129.3 1.1 .7 .6 3.2 3.3 2.8 Service-producing industries (3)........... 124.7 127.5 129.0 1.2 .6 1.2 3.3 3.5 3.4 Excluding sales occupations.......... 125.6 128.3 129.7 1.1 .5 1.1 3.1 3.3 3.3 White-collar occupations............... 125.6 128.5 130.1 1.3 .5 1.2 3.5 3.6 3.6 Excluding sales...................... 127.2 129.9 131.5 1.3 .3 1.2 3.2 3.4 3.4 Blue-collar occupations................ 122.7 124.8 126.0 1.1 .8 1.0 2.9 2.8 2.7 Service occupations.................... 122.0 125.6 126.5 .6 1.3 .7 2.3 3.5 3.7 Transportation and public utilities...... 124.6 127.0 128.2 0.7 0.9 0.9 2.8 2.7 2.9 Transportation....................... 122.9 124.7 126.5 1.1 .7 1.4 3.3 2.5 2.9 Public utilities..................... 126.5 129.8 130.1 .3 1.1 .2 2.1 2.9 2.8 Communications..................... 126.1 130.3 129.8 -.1 1.6 -.4 1.4 3.2 2.9 Electric, gas, and sanitary services....................... 127.0 129.0 130.4 .9 .4 1.1 2.9 2.5 2.7 Wholesale and retail trade............... 123.9 127.0 128.5 1.3 1.0 1.2 3.8 3.8 3.7 Excluding sales occupations......... 124.4 127.7 129.3 1.0 .9 1.3 3.5 3.7 3.9 Wholesale trade........................ 126.1 129.6 131.4 .5 .9 1.4 4.3 3.3 4.2 Excluding sales occupations......... 126.3 129.8 131.8 .5 .7 1.5 3.4 3.3 4.4 Retail trade........................... 122.8 125.8 127.1 1.8 1.1 1.0 3.5 4.3 3.5 General merchandise stores........... 121.0 124.7 125.0 .7 1.7 .2 2.6 3.8 3.3 Food stores.......................... 120.5 124.7 124.8 1.2 1.3 .1 2.3 4.7 3.6 Finance, insurance, and real estate...... 119.8 122.2 124.5 1.2 .0 1.9 4.2 3.2 3.9 Excluding sales occupations.......... 123.4 125.3 127.2 1.7 -.6 1.5 3.4 3.3 3.1 Banking, savings and loan, and other credit agencies..................... 122.7 123.8 125.9 2.2 -2.4 1.7 2.9 3.1 2.6 Insurance.............................. 123.6 126.0 127.9 1.1 .5 1.5 3.2 3.1 3.5 Excluding sales occupations.......... 128.0 129.7 131.6 1.3 .3 1.5 3.4 2.7 2.8 Services................................. 127.6 130.5 131.8 1.3 .6 1.0 3.0 3.6 3.3 Business services...................... 126.9 130.1 131.4 2.1 1.2 1.0 3.9 4.7 3.5 Health services........................ 129.3 131.4 132.5 .7 .5 .8 2.5 2.3 2.5 Hospitals............................ 128.5 130.3 130.7 .6 .5 .3 2.5 2.0 1.7 Nursing homes........................ - - - .8 1.0 1.1 3.1 2.8 3.1 Educational services................... 130.1 133.8 134.5 .5 .4 .5 3.6 3.4 3.4 Colleges and universities............ 130.6 133.8 134.6 .4 .3 .6 4.1 2.8 3.1 Nonmanufacturing industries.................. 123.9 126.8 128.2 1.1 .7 1.1 3.3 3.5 3.5 White-collar occupations................. 125.4 128.3 129.9 1.3 .5 1.2 3.6 3.6 3.6 Excluding sales....................... 126.9 129.6 131.2 1.2 .3 1.2 3.3 3.3 3.4 Blue-collar occupations.................. 120.9 123.1 124.1 .9 .6 .8 2.9 2.8 2.6 Service occupations...................... 122.0 125.5 126.4 .7 1.3 .7 2.3 3.5 3.6 1 This series has the same industry and occupational coverage as the Hourly Earnings Index, which was discontinued in January 1989. 2 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 3 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. - Data not available. Table 7. WAGES AND SALARIES (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries only, private industry workers, by bargaining status and area size Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes for Series 3 months ended 12 months ended Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 Mar. Dec. Mar. Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 1996 1996 1997 Workers, by bargaining status Union...................................... 122.8 125.4 126.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 2.5 2.6 2.6 Blue-collar occupations................ 120.9 123.4 123.6 .5 .5 .2 2.3 2.6 2.2 Goods-producing industries (1)........... 121.3 123.6 124.1 .6 .3 .4 2.4 2.5 2.3 Service-producing industries (2)......... 124.8 127.6 128.2 .5 .6 .5 2.6 2.7 2.7 Manufacturing............................ 122.9 125.2 125.6 .7 .6 .3 2.6 2.6 2.2 Blue-collar occupations.............. 122.4 125.0 125.4 .7 .6 .3 2.4 2.8 2.5 Nonmanufacturing......................... 122.8 125.5 126.1 .4 .5 .5 2.5 2.6 2.7 Nonunion................................... 124.8 127.7 129.1 1.2 .6 1.1 3.3 3.6 3.4 Blue-collar occupations................ 123.6 126.3 127.5 1.2 .9 1.0 3.4 3.4 3.2 Goods-producing industries (1)........... 124.9 128.0 128.9 .9 .5 .7 3.0 3.4 3.2 Service-producing industries (2)......... 124.6 127.5 129.1 1.3 .7 1.3 3.4 3.7 3.6 Manufacturing ........................... 126.3 129.6 130.3 .9 .6 .5 2.9 3.5 3.2 Blue-collar occupations.............. 125.4 128.8 129.8 1.0 .8 .8 3.5 3.7 3.5 Nonmanufacturing ........................ 124.2 127.0 128.5 1.3 .7 1.2 3.5 3.6 3.5 Workers, by region (3) Northeast.................................. 124.9 127.7 128.8 1.1 .6 .9 3.0 3.3 3.1 South...................................... 124.1 127.0 128.5 1.4 .8 1.2 3.4 3.8 3.5 Midwest ................................... 125.1 127.7 129.0 1.2 .6 1.0 3.5 3.3 3.1 West....................................... 123.3 126.5 127.7 .5 .6 .9 2.8 3.1 3.6 Workers, by area size Metropolitan areas......................... 124.6 127.4 128.7 1.1 .6 1.0 3.3 3.4 3.3 Other areas................................ 123.4 126.5 127.7 .8 1.2 .9 2.4 3.3 3.5 1 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. 3 The regional coverage is as follows: NortheastŠConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; SouthŠAlabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; MidwestŠIllinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; and WestŠAlaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Table 8. BENEFITS (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for benefits only, civilian, state and local and private industry workers, by industry and occupational group Indexes (June 1989=100) Percent changes for Series 3 months ended 12 months ended Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 Mar. Dec. Mar. Mar. Dec. Mar. 1996 1996 1997 1996 1996 1997 Civilian workers............................. 136.2 138.2 138.9 0.5 0.4 0.5 1.8 2.0 2.0 State and local government workers......... 134.7 136.8 137.4 .6 .5 .4 2.7 2.2 2.0 Private industry workers................... 136.6 138.6 139.4 .5 .4 .6 1.6 2.0 2.0 White-collar occupations................. 137.7 139.7 140.8 .7 .1 .8 1.8 2.2 2.3 Blue-collar occupations.................. 135.2 137.0 137.2 .4 .6 .1 1.4 1.7 1.5 Service occupations...................... 135.7 137.4 138.3 -.2 .9 .7 .5 1.0 1.9 Goods-producing industries (1)........... 137.7 139.7 139.9 .4 .6 .1 1.3 1.9 1.6 Service-producing industries (2)......... 135.5 137.4 138.5 .6 .1 .8 1.7 2.0 2.2 Manufacturing ........................... 137.5 139.8 139.9 .6 .7 .1 1.6 2.3 1.7 Aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721).... 154.2 151.6 148.6 5.5 -2.1 -2.0 9.4 3.8 -3.6 White-collar occupations........... 152.0 150.9 146.8 6.7 -.8 -2.7 8.5 5.9 -3.4 Blue-collar occupations............ 156.7 152.2 150.9 3.9 -3.9 -.9 10.7 .9 -3.7 Nonmanufacturing......................... 136.0 137.9 138.9 .5 .3 .7 1.6 1.9 2.1 Union workers............................ 139.1 140.7 140.2 .8 .6 -.4 3.2 2.0 .8 Nonunion workers......................... 135.8 137.8 138.9 .5 .3 .8 1.2 2.0 2.3 1 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. EXPLANATORY NOTE The Employment Cost Index (ECI) is a measure of the change in the cost of labor, free from the influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. The compensation series includes changes in wages and salaries and employer costs for employee benefits. The wage and salary series and the benefit cost series provide the change for the two components of compensation. Wages and salaries are defined as the hourly straight-time wage rate or, for workers not paid on an hourly basis, straight-time earnings divided by the corresponding hours. Straight-time wage and salary rates are total earnings before payroll deductions, excluding premium pay for overtime and for work on weekends and holidays, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses such as lump-sum payments provided in lieu of wage increases. Production bonuses, incentive earnings, commission payments, and cost-of-living adjustments are included in straight-time wage and salary rates. Benefits covered by the ECI are: Paid leave (vacations, holidays, sick leave, and other leave); supplemental pay (premium pay for overtime, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses such as lump-sum payments provided in lieu of wage increases); insurance benefits (life, health, sickness and accident, and long-term disability); retirement and savings benefits (defined benefit and defined contribution); legally required benefits (social security, Federal and State unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, and other legally required benefits such as State temporary disability); and other benefits (severance pay and supplemental unemployment plans). The ECI provides data for the civilian economy, which includes the total private economy and the public sector-- excluding farms, households, and the Federal government. The private industry series and the State and local government series provide data for the two sectors separately. Data for this quarter were collected from a probability sample of approximately 17,800 occupations within about 4,200 sample establishments in private industry and approximately 4,500 occupations within about 850 sample establishments in State and local governments. Data are collected for the pay period including the 12th day of the survey months of March, June, September, and December. The sample establishments are classified in industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Within an establishment, specific job categories are selected to represent broader occupational definitions. From June 1986 through December 1994, the jobs were classified according to definitions used in the 1980 Census. Prior to June 1986, they were classified according to the 1970 Census. Differences between the two classification systems are slight, as indicated in the article "Introducing new weights for the Employment Cost Index," in the June 1985 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning with March 1995, the jobs are classified according to the 1990 Census, which differs little from the 1980 Census. Fixed employment weights are used each quarter to calculate the most aggregate indexes--civilian, private, and State and local governments. These fixed weights are also used to derive all of the industry and occupation series indexes. Beginning in March 1995, 1990 employment counts primarily from the Bureau's Occupational Employment Statistics survey were used. A description of the reweighting is included in an article "Introducing 1990 Weights for the Employment Cost Index," that was published in the June 1995 issue of Compensation and Working Conditions, and which is available upon request. From June 1986 through December 1994, employment counts from the 1980 Census were used as weights. Prior to June 1986, employment counts from the 1970 Census were used. For the series based on bargaining status, region, or area size, employment data are not available from the Census. The employment weights are reallocated within these series each quarter based on the current ECI sample. The indexes for these series, consequently, are not strictly comparable to those for the aggregate, industry, and occupation series. A fuller explanation of the calculation of index numbers appears in an article, "Estimation procedures for the Employment Cost Index," in the May 1982 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning with the March 1990 ECI release, indexes were rebased to June 1989=100. A description of the rebasing is included in the article "Employment Cost Index Rebased to September 1989," in the April 1990 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning with the December 1990 ECI release, seasonally adjusted data are available for selected ECI series. Seasonal adjustment removes the effects of events that follow a more or less regular pattern each year. These adjustments make nonseasonal patterns easier to spot. ECI series are seasonally adjusted using either direct or composite seasonally adjusted estimates. Industry and occupational series, such as construction and service occupations, are adjusted directly. More aggregate series, such as civilian or private industry workers, use composite estimates. The composite estimates could be obtained by aggregating either the industry or the occupational components, and the results may differ depending on which method is used. The aggregate seasonally adjusted ECI series are estimated by aggregating the component seasonally adjusted industry series, so they are not necessarily a weighted average of the component occupation series. The costs per hour worked of compensation components, based on March 1996 data from the ECI, are published in a separate news release titled "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation - March 1996." A description of the cost levels is provided in the article "Analyzing employers' costs for wages, salaries, and benefits" in the October 1987 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. The cost levels, which are usually published annually in the summer, are calculated with current employment weights, rather than the fixed 1990 weights used in computing the ECI. Therefore, year-to-year changes in the cost levels will usually differ from those in the ECI. More detailed information on the ECI is available in several sources. These include an annual bulletin, Employment Cost Indexes and Levels, 1975-95, (Bulletin 2466); a chapter in the BLS Handbook of Methods (Bulletin 2414), "The Employment Cost Index;" and several articles published in the Monthly Labor Review. The annual bulletin is available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, or Bureau of Labor Statistics, Publications Sales Center, P.O. Box 2145, Chicago, Illinois 60690, 312-353-1880. Reprints of the articles plus other descriptive pieces and a complete historical listing are available upon request. ECI historical data are also available on data diskettes. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-7828, Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) phone: 202-606-5897, TDD Message Referral Phone Number: 1-800-326-2577. 1 1 17