Quarterly changes, seasonally adjusted
For private industry, compensation costs rose 0.8 percent from June to September 2007, compared to 0.9 percent for the prior quarter, while state and local government costs increased 0.8 percent, compared to 1.1 percent for the quarter ended June 2007.
Wages and salaries for private industry workers increased 0.8 percent, the same as the previous quarter. In state and local government, the increase was 1.0 percent, compared with 0.8 percent in the prior quarter.
Benefit costs for private industry rose 0.8 percent, compared to 1.1 percent the previous quarter. For state and local government, benefit costs increased 0.7 percent, compared to 1.7 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 September 2007, the same as for the year ended September 2006. In private industry, compensation costs rose 3.1 percent in the year ended September 2007, about the same as the September 2006 increase of 3.0 percent. For state and local government, for the 12 months ended September 2007, the increase was 4.3 percent. In September 2006 the increase was 4.1 percent. The components of compensation were similar in their rates of change and little changed over the year.
Nonfarm private industry
For the year ended September 2007, compensation costs increased 2.4 percent for goods-producing industries, compared to a 2.2 percent increase in September 2006. Compensation cost increases for manufacturing remained low, at 1.8 percent for the year ended September 2007, compared to 1.6 percent for the year ended September 2006. Compensation costs for the construction industry rose 3.8 percent, compared to 3.3 percent for the previous year.
The over-the-year increase for September 2007 in compensation costs for service-providing industries was 3.3 percent, about the same as the September 2006 increase of 3.2 percent. Among the major service-providing industries, compensation gains ranged from 2.2 percent in the trade, transportation, and utilities industries to 5.0 percent in the leisure and hospitality industry.
Among private industry occupational groups, over-the-year compensation gains ranged from 2.2 percent for production, transportation, and material moving to 4.0 percent for service occupations.
Compensation costs for union workers advanced 2.0 percent for the year ended September 2007. This was outpaced by the compensation of nonunion workers, which increased 3.2 percent for the same 12-month period. Wages and salaries for union workers increased 2.7 percent for the 12-month period ended September 2007, less than that for nonunion workers, which rose 3.4 percent. Benefit costs for union workers rose 0.9 percent for the 12-month period, which were also less than benefit cost increases for nonunion workers, which rose 2.7 percent.
State and local government
For the year ended September 2007, wages and salaries for state and local government workers rose 3.5 percent compared to 3.7 percent a year ago. For benefits, costs increased 6.0 percent compared to 5.2 percent for the previous year. Wages and salaries for hospitals rose to
4.4 percent from 3.7 percent a year earlier. Public administration wages and salaries increased 4.3 percent, up from 2.7 percent while education services wages and salaries increased 3.0 percent compared to 4.1 percent the year earlier.
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 0.6 percent for the 12-month period ended September 2007, compared to a 1.1 percent increase for the 12-month period ending September 2006. The increase for private industry was 0.5 percent compared to an increase of 1.0 percent for the year ending September 2006. State and local government registered a 0.7 percent increase, compared to an increase of 1.6 percent for the previous year.
