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Table for figure of Measures of Change
in Hourly Compensation, 1996-2006
Percent
Period Nonfarm
business
compensation
per hour
Employment
cost
index
1996:Q1 3.1 2.8
1996:Q2 3.5 2.9
1996:Q3 3.7 2.9
1996:Q4 3.2 3.1
1997:Q1 2.8 3.0
1997:Q2 2.6 2.9
1997:Q3 2.8 3.1
1997:Q4 4.2 3.5
1998:Q1 5.5 3.6
1998:Q2 6.1 3.5
1998:Q3 6.8 3.9
1998:Q4 5.5 3.5
1999:Q1 5.5 2.9
1999:Q2 4.4 3.3
1999:Q3 3.7 3.0
1999:Q4 5.2 3.5
2000:Q1 6.9 4.6
2000:Q2 6.9 4.6
2000:Q3 8.0 4.7
2000:Q4 6.5 4.2
2001:Q1 4.5 4.2
2001:Q2 4.9 4.0
2001:Q3 3.4 4.0
2001:Q4 3.6 4.1
2002:Q1 3.5 3.8
2002:Q2 4.0 4.0
2002:Q3 3.9 3.5
2002:Q4 3.2 3.1
2003:Q1 2.9 3.6
2003:Q2 3.5 3.5
2003:Q3 4.4 3.9
2003:Q4 5.2 4.0
2004:Q1 4.2 3.8
2004:Q2 3.4 3.9
2004:Q3 3.2 3.8
2004:Q4 3.8 3.8
2005:Q1 4.5 3.5
2005:Q2 4.0 3.1
2005:Q3 4.8 2.9
2005:Q4 4.1 2.9
2006:Q1 6.4 2.6
2006:Q2 5.6 2.8
2006:Q3 4.5 3.0
2006:Q4 4.9 3.2

Note: The data are quarterly and extend through 2006:Q4. For nonfarm business compensation, change is over four quarters; for the employment cost index (ECI), change is over the twelve months ending in the last month of each quarter. The nonfarm business sector excludes farms, government, nonprofit institutions, and households. The sector covered by the ECI used here is the same as the nonfarm business sector plus nonprofit institutions. A new ECI series was introduced for data as of 2001, but the new series is continuous with the old.

Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.