Employment Cost Index - ECI

Employees don't come cheap. There are the direct wages, of course, but there are also benefits, and plenty of other compensation to worry about. Think: health insurance, workers’ comp, and the masseuse for the break room.

The employment cost index is an economic statistic that tracks the overall cost of having an employee. Put out quarterly by the U.S. Department of Labor, the ECI measures the average cost of a worker per hour worked. It tracks both salaries and benefits. It also breaks down the data by various categories: private vs. public, type of worker, industry, etc.