Compensation costs for private industry rose 0.2 percent from December 2008 to March 2009; the prior period increase was 0.5 percent. For March 2009, state and local government compensation increased 0.8 percent. The prior period’s increase was 0.6 percent. Wages and salaries for private industry workers increased 0.2 percent from December 2008 to March 2009, compared to 0.5 percent for the previous period. In state and local government, wages and salaries increased 0.7 percent. The prior period increase was 0.5 percent. Benefit cost increases for private industry were 0.2 percent, compared to 0.4 percent in the previous period. For state and local government, benefit costs increased 1.1 percent, up from 0.7 percent in the previous period.
Over-the-year changes, not seasonally adjusted
Compensation cost increases for civilian workers for the year ended March 2009 slowed dramatically, increasing 2.1 percent, down from the 3.3 percent increase for the year ended March 2008. In private industry, compensation costs rose 1.9 percent in the year ended March 2009, significantly less than the increase for the year ended March 2008, which was 3.2 percent. For state and local government, the increase for the 12-month period ended March 2009 was 3.1 percent, also slowing down from the March 2008 increase of 3.6 percent.
Wages and salaries for civilian workers increased 2.2 percent for the 12-month period; down from the March 2008 increase of 3.2 percent. Private industry wages and salaries decelerated to a 2.0 percent increase for the year ended March 2009. In March 2008 the increase was 3.2 percent.
State and local government wages and salaries increased 3.0 percent for the year ended March 2009, slowing less dramatically than in private industry. The increase for the 12-month period ending March 2008 was 3.5 percent. Benefits increased 2.0 percent for civilian workers. In private industry, benefit costs increased 1.6 percent, much less than the increase for state and local government, which was 3.4 percent for the 12-month period ended March 2009.
Nonfarm private industry
For the year ended March 2009, private industry compensation costs increased 1.7 percent for goods-producing industries, slowing from an increase of 3.1 percent in March 2008. Compensation costs for manufacturing increased 1.7 percent for the year ended March 2009, slowing from a 2.6 percent increase in March 2008. In the construction industry, compensation costs rose 1.8 percent compared to 4.0 percent
for the 12-month period ending March 2008.
The over-the-year increase for March 2009 in compensation costs for service-providing industries slowed to 1.9 percent, down from the March 2008 increase of 3.3 percent. Among the major service-providing industries, changes in compensation costs ranged from no change in financial activities to 2.9 percent in leisure and hospitality.
Among private industry occupational groups, over-the-year compensation gains ranged from 1.2 percent for sales and office occupations to 2.7 percent for service occupations.
Compensation cost increases for union workers were greater than for nonunion workers, advancing 3.0 percent in the year ended March 2009. Compensation costs for nonunion workers increased 1.8 percent.
Wages and salaries for union workers increased 3.1 percent in the 12-month period ended March 2009 while nonunion workers saw a smaller increase of 1.9 percent. Benefit costs rose 2.7 percent in the 12-month period for union workers, also higher than the increase of 1.3 percent for nonunion workers.
State and local government
For the year ended March 2009, wages and salaries for state and local government workers rose 3.0 percent. The increase for the 12-month period ended March 2008 was 3.5 percent. Benefit costs increased 3.4 percent for the current 12-month period, down from a 4.1 percent increase for the previous year. Public administration wages and salaries increased 2.9 percent, also less than its March 2008 12-month percent increase of 3.5 percent.
Over-the-year changes in wages and salaries, constant dollars, not seasonally adjusted
After adjusting for the changes in the prices of consumer goods and services, wages and salaries for civilian workers increased 2.6 percent for the 12-month period ended March 2009, compared to a 0.7 percent decrease for the 12-month period ended March 2008. The increase for private industry was 2.5 percent, compared to a decrease of 0.8 percent for the year ended March 2008. State and local government registered a 3.3 percent increase, compared to a decrease of 0.5 percent for the previous year.
