Quarterly changes, seasonally adjusted
Compensation costs for private industry rose 0.8 percent from December 2007 to March 2008; for the prior quarter the increase was 0.9 percent. Wages and salaries for private industry workers increased 0.8 percent for the December 2007 to March 2008 period, the same as in the previous quarter. In state and local government, the increase was 0.7 percent, compared with 0.8 percent in the prior quarter. Benefit costs for private industry rose 0.6 percent, compared to 0.8 percent in the previous quarter. For state and local government, benefit costs increased 0.3 percent, compared to 1.2 percent in the previous quarter.
Over-the-year changes, not seasonally adjusted
Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 3.3 percent for the year ended March 2008. For the year ended March 2007 the increase was 3.5 percent. In private industry, compensation costs rose 3.2 percent in the year ended March 2008, the same as for the year ended March 2007. For state and local government, the increase for the 12-month period ended March 2008 was 3.6 percent, less than the March 2007 increase of 4.6 percent. Wages and salaries for civilian workers increased 3.2 percent for the 12-month period; in March 2007, the increase was 3.6 percent.
Private industry wages and salaries increased at the same rate as the civilian sector in March 2007 and March 2008. However, state and local government wage and salary increased 3.5 percent for the year ended March 2008. In March 2007, the increase was 3.8 percent. Benefits - which increased 3.5 percent for civilian workers-differed by ownership sector. Private industry benefit costs increased 3.2 percent, less than the state and local government increase of 4.1 percent for the 12-month period ended March 2008.
Nonfarm private industry
For the year ended March 2008, private industry compensation costs increased 3.1 percent for goods-producing industries, compared to a 2.6 percent increase in March 2007. Compensation cost increases for manufacturing remained low, at 2.6 percent for the year ended March 2008, compared to 1.9 percent for the year ended March 2007. Compensation costs for the construction industry rose 4.0 percent, the same as in the previous year.
The over-the-year increase for March 2008 in compensation costs for service-providing industries was 3.3 percent. The March 2007 increase was also 3.3 percent. Among the major service-providing industries, compensation gains ranged from 1.7 percent in information to 4.1 percent in professional and business services.
Among private industry occupational groups, over-the-year compensation gains ranged from 2.8 percent for sales and office to 3.5 percent for natural resources, construction, and maintenance.
Compensation costs for union workers advanced 3.1 percent for the year ended March 2008 while compensation cost increases for nonunion workers increased 3.2 percent for the same 12-month period. Wages and salaries for union workers increased 2.6 percent for the 12-month period ended March 2008, less than those for nonunion workers, which rose 3.3 percent. Benefit costs for union workers rose 4.1 percent for the 12-month period, which was more than benefit cost increases for nonunion workers, which rose 3.0 percent.
State and local government
For the year ended March 2008, wages and salaries for state and local government workers rose 3.5 percent. The increase for the 12-month period ended March 2007 was 3.8 percent. Benefit costs increased 4.1 percent, less than the increase of 6.3 percent in the previous year. Wages and salaries for health care and social assistance increased 3.3 percent, down from 5.5 percent a year earlier. Public administration wages and salaries increased 3.5 percent. In March 2007 the increase was 4.0 percent. Education services wages and salaries increased 3.4 percent. A year earlier the increase was 3.6 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 decreased 0.7 percent for the 12-month period ended March 2008, compared to a 0.7 percent increase for the 12-month period ended March 2007. The decrease for private industry was 0.8 percent compared to an increase of 0.7 percent for the year ended March 2007. State and local government registered a 0.5 percent decrease, compared to an increase of 1.0 percent for the previous year.
