The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports in the employment cost index that compensation costs for all civilian workers increased 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending June 2012. That 0.5% was heavily carried by a 0.6% increase in benefits costs for private industry workers, and a whopping 0.9% benefits costs for state and local government workers.

We can see that over the last several years, increase in benefits costs is fairly significantly outpacing growth in wages and salaries.

 

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