Employment Cost Index (EC) ec.txt Section Listing 1. Survey Definition 2. FTP files listed in the survey directory. 3. Time series, series file, data file, & mapping file definitions and relationships 4. Series file format and field definitions 5. Data file format and field definitions 6. Mapping file formats and field definitions 7. Data Element Dictionary ================================================================================ Section 1 ================================================================================ The following is a definition of: EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX (EC) Survey Description: The Employment Cost Index (ECI) is a quarterly measure of the change in the cost of labor, free from the influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. The compensation series includes changes in wages and salaries plus employer costs for employee benefits. The wage and salary series and benefit cost series provide the change for the two components of compensation. Employee benefit costs are calculated as cents-per-hour-worked for 23 benefits ranging from employer payments for Social Security to paid time off for holidays. The survey covers all occupations in the civilian economy, which includes the total private economy (excluding farms and households), and the public sector (excluding the Federal government). Statistics are published for the private and public sectors separately, and the data are combined in a measure of change for the civilian economy. The data are collected from a probability sample of about 23,000 occupations with 4,500 sample establishments in private industry and about 8,800 occupations within 1,300 sample establishments in State and local governments. The sample establishments are classified in industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Within an establishment, specific job categories are selected to represent broader occupational definitions. Since June 1986, the jobs have been classified according to the 1980 Census of Occupations. Prior to June 1986, they were classified according to the 1970 Census. Summary Data Available: For private industry workers, change data are available for total compensation costs, for wages and salaries alone, and for benefit costs alone. Wage and salary change and compensation cost change data are available by major occupational and industry groups, as well as by region and bargaining status. Wage and salary change information is available from 1975 to the present for most of these series. Compensation cost change data are available from 1980 to the present for most series. For 10 occupational and industry series, benefit cost change data are available from the early 1980's to the present. For State and local governments and the civilian economy (State and local governments plus private industry), wage and salary change and compensation cost change data are available for major occupational and industry series. The data for all these series are provided from June 1981 to present. In most cases, index levels and 3-month and 12-month percent changes are available. Some of the newer industry and occupation series for private industry workers do not have data available back to June 1981. Frequency of Observations: Data are quarterly in all cases. Base Periods: In most cases, index levels have a base period of June 1989 = 100. Data Characteristics: All percent changes and indexes are stored with one decimal place. Updating Schedule: Updates are available about four weeks following the end of the reference quarter. Reference quarters end in March, June, September, and December. ================================================================================== Section 2 ================================================================================== The following Employment Cost Index files are on the BLS internet in the sub-directory pub/time.series/ec: ec.contacts - Contacts for EC survey ec.compensation - Compensation codes mapping file ec.data.0.Current - All current year-to-date data ec.data.1.AllData - All data ec.group - Group codes mapping file ec.old.series.081297(TBR) ec.ownership - Ownership codes mapping file ec.period - Period codes mapping file ec.periodicity - Periodicity codes mapping file ec.series - All series and their beginning and end dates ec.txt - General information ftpubec.tar(TBR) README Note: TBR = File that will be removed. ================================================================================= Section 3 ================================================================================= The definition of a time series, its relationship to and the interrelationship among series, data and mapping files is detailed below: A time series refers to a set of data observed over an extended period of time over consistent time intervals (i.e. monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually). BLS time series data are typically produced at monthly intervals and represent data ranging from a specific consumer item in a specific geographical area whose price is gathered monthly to a category of worker in a specific industry whose employment rate is being recorded monthly, etc. The FTP files are organized such that data users are provided with the following set of files to use in their efforts to interpret data files: a) a series file (only one series file per survey) b) mapping files c) data files The series file contains a set of codes which, together, compose a series identification code that serves to uniquely identify a single time series. Additionally, the series file also contains the following series-level information: a) the period and year corresponding to the first data observation b) the period and year corresponding to the most recent data observation. The mapping files are definition files that contain explanatory text descriptions that correspond to each of the various codes contained within each series identification code. The data file contains one line of data for each observation period pertaining to a specific time series. Each line contains a reference to the following: a) a series identification code b) year in which data is observed c) period for which data is observed (M13, Q05, and S03 indicate annual averages) d) value e) footnote code (if available) ================================================================================= Section 4 ================================================================================= File Structure and Format: The following represents the file format used to define ec.series. Note that the Field Numbers are for reference only; they do not exist in the database. Data files are in ASCII text format. Data elements are separated by tabs; the first record of each file contains the column headers for the data elements stored in each field. Each record ends with a new line character. Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. series_id 17 ECS10001I 2. comp_code 1 1 3. group_code 3 110 4. ownership_code 1 2 5. periodicity_code 1 A,Q or I 6. seasonal 1 S or U 7. begin_year 4 1982 8. begin_period 3 Q01-Q05 9. end_year 4 2001 10. end_period 3 Q01-Q05 The series_id (ECU12802Q) can be broken out into: Code Value survey abbreviation = EC seasonal(code) = U comp_code = 1 group_code = 280 ownership_code = 2 periodicity_code = Q ================================================================================== Section 5 ================================================================================== File Structure and Format: The following represents the file format used to define each data file. Note that the field numbers are for reference only; they do not exist in the database. Data files are in ASCII text format. Data elements are separated by tabs; the first record of each file contains the column headers for the data elements stored in each field. Each record ends with a new line character. The ec.data file is partitioned into two separate files: 1. ec.data.0.Current - All current year-to-date data 2. ec.data.1.AllData - All data Both of the above data files have the following format: Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. series_id 17 ECU12802Q 2. year 4 1993 3. period 3 Q01 4. value 12 110.3 5. footnote_codes 10 It varies The series_id (ECU12802Q) can be broken out into: Code Value survey abbreviation = EC seasonal(code) = U comp_code = 1 group_code = 280 ownership_code = 2 periodicity_code = Q ================================================================================ Section 6 ================================================================================ File Structure and Format: The following represents the file format used to define each mapping file. Note that the field numbers are for reference only; they do not exist in the database. Mapping files are in ASCII text format. Data elements are separated by tabs; the first record of each file contains the column headers for the data elements stored in each field. Each record ends with a new line character. File Name: ec.compensation Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. comp_code 1 1 2. comp_text 20 Text File Name: ec.group Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. group_code 3 101 2. group_name 100 Text File Name: ec.ownership Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. ownership_code 1 2 2. ownership_name 40 Text File Name: ec.period Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. period 3 Q01 2. period_abbr 5 QTR2 3. period_name 20 Text File Name: ec.periodicity Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. periodicity_code 1 A,I or Q 2. periodicity_text 30 Text ========================================================================================= Section 7 ========================================================================================= EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX (EC) DATABASE ELEMENTS Data Element Length Value(Example) Description begin_period 3 Q01-Q05 Identifies first data observation Ex: Q01=1st Quarter within the first year for which (Q=Quarterly, Q05= data is available for a given Annual Avg) time series. begin_year 4 YYYY Identifies first year for which Ex: 1985 data is available for a given time series. comp_code 1 1=Total compensation Code identifying the compensation 2=Wages & salaries component of the observation. 3=Benefits comp_text 20 Text Name identifying the Ex: Benefits compensation component of the observation. end_period 3 Q01-Q05 Identifies last data observation Ex: Q01=1st Quarter within the last year for which (Q=Quarterly, Q05= data is available for a given Annual Avg) time series. end_year 4 YYYY Identifies last year for which Ex: 1990 data is available for a given time series. footnote_codes 10 It varies Identifies footnotes for the data series. group_code 3 000-999 Code identifying worker group to which data observation pertains. group_name 100 Text Name of worker group to which Ex: Service workers data observation pertains. ownership_code 1 1=Civilian Code identifying the sector of 2=Private economy to which data pertain. 3=State & local government ownership_name 40 Text Name of sector of economy to Ex: Civilian nonfarm which data pertain. period_abbr 5 Period name Abbrevation of period name. abbreviation period 3 Q01-Q05 Identifies period for which Ex: Q01=1st Quarter data is observed. (Q=Quarterly, Q05= Annual Avg) period_name 20 Text Full name of period to which the data observation refers. periodicity_ 1 A=12 Month % change Code identifying the level code Q=3 Month % change of change in compensation I=Index compared to the prior period. periodicity_ 30 Text Name indicating the level text Ex: I=Index level of change in compensation compared to the prior period. seasonal 1 S=Seasonally Code identifying whether the Adjusted data are seasonally adjusted. U=Unadjusted series_id 17 ECS10001I Code identifying the specific series. value 12 110.3 Data value for series. year 4 YYYY Identifies year of observation. Ex: 1990