An index used to monitor inflation. The Employment Cost Index measures the relative changes in wages, benefits, and bonuses for a specific group of occupations. The reason the ECI is thought to be an indicator of inflation is that as wages increase, the added cost is often passed to consumers shortly thereafter in the form of higher prices (which is inflation). In combination with the productivity report, the ECI can reveal whether the increased cost of labor is justified or not. The ECI  is released on the last business day of January, April, July and October at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
Related information about Employment Cost Index:
- Employment Cost Trends Home Page
 ECI Archives - Complete set of ECI news releases from 1976. ... Subscribe to the   BLS News Service— receive the Employment Cost Index news release by e- ...
 
- Employment Cost Index (ECI) - Bureau of Labor Statistics
 Oct 31, 2012 ... COMPENSATION (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED): Employment Cost Index for   total compensation, for civilian workers, by occupational group ...
 
- Employment Cost Index news release text
 Nov 2, 2012 ... TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL   USDL-12-2162 8:30 A.M. (EDT) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, ...
 
- Schedule of Releases for the Employment Cost Index 2012-13
 ... AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT · PRIOR YEARS.   Schedule of Releases for the Employment Cost Index. Reference Month,   Release Date ...
 
- Employment cost index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 The employment cost index (ECI) is a quarterly economic series detailing the   changes in the costs of labor for businesses in the United States economy. The   ECI ...
 
- Employment Cost Index (ECI) Definition | Investopedia
 A quarterly report from the U.S. Department of Labor that measures the growth of   employee compensation (wages and benefits). The index is based on a survey ...
 
- Economic Indicators: Employee Cost Index (ECI) | Investopedia
 The Employment Cost Index can provide insights into inflation and is used by the   Federal Reserve to set monetary policy.
 
- Employment Cost Index
 Employment Cost Index. Importance: Definition: It measures changes in labor   costs for money wages and salaries and noncash fringe benefits in nonfarm ...