U.S. Employment Costs Soared Last Year

Total compensation costs for private industry workers increased 4.4 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2021. Costs for wages and salaries increased by 5 percent while costs for benefits increased by 2.9 percent. Hover over each line to see the percent change for the 12-month period ending each quarter.

Note: Employment costs are for private industry workers only, not seasonally adjusted.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Cost Index, December 2021.