July 30, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Employment costs in private industry, June 2004

Compensation costs for the private sector rose 1.0 percent from March to June 2004 (seasonally adjusted), after advancing 1.1 percent in the prior quarter.

3-month percent changes in Employment Cost Index, private industry workers, seasonally adjusted, September 2002-June 2004
[Chart data—TXT]

Private sector benefit costs rose 1.7 percent for the June quarter, moderating from the 2.6-percent gain in the previous quarter.

Wages and salaries for private workers advanced 0.6 percent during the June quarter, identical to the increase in March 2004. Wage and salary gains in transportation and public utilities and in service industries led the increase. Wage and salary increases were lower in construction, wholesale trade, and finance, insurance, and real estate.

These data are from the BLS Compensation Cost Trends program. Compensation costs (also known as employment costs) include wages, salaries, and employer costs for employee benefits. Data are subject to revision. Learn more in "Employment Cost Index—June 2004" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-1380.