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Handbook of Methods Employment Cost Index More Info

Employment Cost Index: More Info

Additional information on the Employment Cost Index (ECI) is available on the ECI homepage. 

ECI data are available on the BLS website:

• Database
• Tables
• Latest news release

Visit the ECI program's commonly asked questions and answers page.

Articles

Selected articles on Employment Cost Index methodology are referenced below.

Estimation:

• “The Linked Employment Cost Index: a first look and estimation methodology,” December 2022
• “The Employment Cost Index and the Impact on Medicare Reimbursements,” July 2022
• “BLS Introduces New Employment Cost Indexes for 14 Metropolitan Areas,” September 2008
• “The Employment Cost Index: what is it?” September 2001
• “Estimation procedures for the Employment Cost Index,” 1982

Imputation:

• “Alternative imputation models for wage related data collected from establishment surveys,” 2000
• “An evaluation of alternative imputation methods,” 1995

Reweighting:

• “Introducing 2012 fixed employment weights for the Employment Cost Index,” August 2016
• “Introducing 2002 weights for the Employment Cost Index,” April 2006
• “Introducing new weights for the Employment Cost Index,” June 1985  

Sample design:

• “State and Local Government Sample Design for the National Compensation Survey,” October 2012
• “Update on the Evaluation of Sample Design Issues in the National Compensation Survey,” August 2011
• “Evaluating Sample Design Issues in the National Compensation Survey,” October 2010

Seasonal adjustment:

• “Seasonality in the Employment Cost Index,” February 2024
• “Changes in the publication of seasonally adjusted Employment Cost Index series,” March 2013
• “Transitional Employment Cost Indexes for seasonal adjustment,” April 2008
• “Seasonal adjustment in the ECI and the conversion to NAICS and SOC,” April 2006

Other National Compensation Survey (NCS) products

The National Compensation Survey (NCS) is an establishment-based survey that provides data on pay and benefits. Its outputs include the Employment Cost Index (ECI), Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC), and Employee Benefits publications.

Data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) and NCS programs are combined and provided to the President’s Pay Agent to meet the requirements of the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 (FEPCA). FEPCA established locality pay and the President’s Pay Agent designated locality pay areas based on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area definitions. The President’s Pay Agent advises the President on the issues of federal pay. It is made up of the Secretary of Labor and the directors of the OMB and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). For more information, see the Annual Report of the President’s Pay Agent. A combination of OEWS and NCS data is used by the President’s Pay Agent (in a report to the Federal Salary Council) to recommend adjustments in pay levels of some federal workers.

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Telephone: (202) 691-6199 (Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM EST)

Information for NCS respondents is available on the National Compensation Survey (NCS) Respondents webpage. Visit the regional office contact page for regional office contact information.

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