Employment Cost Index (CI) ci.txt Section Listing 1. Survey definition 2. Download files listed in the survey directory 3. Time series, series file, data file, and 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 definition =============================================================================== Section 1: Survey Definition =============================================================================== The following is a definition of: Employment Cost Index (CI) Survey description: The Employment Cost Index (ECI) measures the change in the cost of labor, free from the influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. The total compensation series includes changes in wages and salaries and in employer costs for employee benefits. 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 for the civilian economy. The data are collected from a probability sample of about 27,200 occupations with 6,600 sample establishments in private industry and about 8,000 occupations within 1,400 state and local government establishments. The sample establishments are classified in industry categories based on the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). Within an establishment, specific job categories are selected to represent broader occupational definitions. Jobs are classified according to the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Summary data available: For private industry workers, data are available for total compensation costs, for wages and salaries alone, and for total benefits alone. Compensation and wage and salary change estimates are available by major occupational and industry groups, as well as by census regions and divisions, 15 largest metropolitan areas (by employment), time-based workers, and bargaining status. For civilian as well as state and local government workers cost changes are available for major occupational and industry series. Indexes and 3-month and 12-month percent changes are available for most non-seasonally adjusted series. Seasonally adjusted series have indexes and 3-month percent changes available. Frequency of observations: Data are released for the reference months of March, June, September, and December. Base periods: All current indexes have a base period of December 2005 = 100. Data characteristics: All percent changes and indexes are stored are rounded to the nearest tenth. Updating schedule: Updates are available about four weeks following the end of the reference month. Publication dates are available at www.bls.gov/schedule/news_release/eci.htm. Detailed information on survey concepts, coverage, and methods can be found in the BLS Handbook of Methods, “National Compensation Measures,” www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/home.htm. =============================================================================== Section 2: Download files listed in the survey directory =============================================================================== The following Employment Cost Index files are on the BLS internet site at https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/ci/: File Name Contents File Type ci.series - all series and their series file beginning and end dates ci.data.0.Current - all most recent reference period data data file ci.data.1.AllData - all estimates data file ci.aspect - all available standard errors data file ci.area - geographic codes mapping file ci.estimate - compensation type codes mapping file ci.footnote - footnote codes mapping file ci.industry - industry codes mapping file ci.occupation - occupation codes mapping file ci.owner - ownership (sector) codes mapping file ci.periodicity - periodicity codes mapping file ci.seasonal - seasonal codes mapping file ci.subcell - subcell category codes mapping file ci.contacts - contacts for CI survey N/A ci.txt - general information for CM survey N/A =============================================================================== Section 3: Series file, data files, and mapping files definitions and relationships =============================================================================== The interrelationship among series, data, and mapping files is detailed below: The series file contains a unique series identification code that identifies a single time series and columns of codes that define the 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 download 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) data files c) mapping files The mapping files are definition files that contain explanatory text descriptions that correspond to each of the various codes used to define each series identification code. =============================================================================== Section 4: Series file format and field definitions =============================================================================== File structure and format: The following represents the file format used to define the ci.series file. Note that the Field Numbers are for reference only; they do not exist in the database. 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 CIS1010000000000I 2. seasonal 1 S 3. owner_code 1 1 4. industry_code 6 000000 5. occupation_code 6 000000 6. subcell_code 3 00 7. area_code 5 99999 8. periodicity_code 1 I 9. estimate_code 2 01 10. series_title 250 (descriptive label text) 11. footnote_codes 10 v,7 12. begin_year 4 2008 13. begin_period 3 Q01 14. end_year 4 2018 15. end_period 3 Q01 The series_id (CIS1010000000000I) can be broken out into: Code Value survey abbreviation = CI seasonal (code) = S owner_code = 1 estimate_code = 01 industry_code = 0000 occupation_code = 000 subcell_code = 00 periodicity_code = I =============================================================================== Section 5: Data file formats and field definitions =============================================================================== 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 ci.data file is partitioned into two separate files: 1. ci.data.0.Current - All recent reference period estimates 2. ci.data.1.AllData - All estimates 3. ci.aspect - All available standard errors File Name: ci.data.0.Current Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. series_id 17 CIU1010000110000Q 2. year 4 2018 3. period 3 Q01 4. value 12 1.1 5. footnote_codes 10 File Name: ci.data.1.AllData Field #/Data Element Length Value (Example) 1. series_id 17 CIU1010000210000A 2. year 4 2018 3. period 3 Q01 4. value 12 2.9 5. footnote_codes 10 File Name: ci.aspect Field #/Data Element Length Value (Example) 1. series_id 17 CIU1010000430000A 2. year 4 2018 3. period 3 Q01 4. aspect_type 2 E 5. value 12 0.2 6. footnote_codes 10 =============================================================================== Section 6: Mapping file formats and field definitions =============================================================================== 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: ci.area Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. area_code 5 99999 2. area_text 100 National 3. display_level 2 0 4. selectable 1 T 5. sort_sequence 5 1 File Name: ci.estimate Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. subcell_code 2 03 2. subcell_text 100 Total Benefits 3. display_level 2 1 4. selectable 1 T 5. sort_sequence 5 3 File Name: ci.footnote Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. footnote_code 3 a 2. footnote_text 200 Dashes indicate data not available. File Name: ci.industry Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. industry_code 6 622000 2. industry_text 100 Hospitals 3. display_level 2 4 4. selectable 1 T 5. sort_sequence 5 1625 File Name: ci.occupation Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. occupation_code 6 414300 2. occupation_text 100 Sales and office occupations 3. display_level 2 1 4. selectable 1 T 5. sort_sequence 5 760 File Name: ci.owner Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. owner_code 1 2 2. owner_text 100 Private industry workers 3. display_level 2 0 4. selectable 1 T 5. sort_sequence 5 2 File Name: ci.periodicity Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. periodicity_code 1 I 2. periodicity_text 30 Index number 3. display_level 2 0 4. selectable 1 T 5. sort_sequence 5 1 File Name: ci.seasonal Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. seasonal_code 1 S 2. seasonal_text 30 Seasonally adjusted File Name: ci.subcell Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. subcell_code 3 23 2. subcell_text 100 Union 3. display_level 2 2 4. selectable 1 T 5. sort_sequence 5 28 =============================================================================== Section 7: Data element dictionary =============================================================================== Employment Cost Index (ECI) database elements Data Element Length Value(Example) Description area_code 5 99999 Identifies the geographic area for the estimate area_text 100 United States Description of area (National) code aspect_type 2 E Identifies the type of additional data provided for the series id (Example: E represents standard error) begin_period 3 Q01 Identifies first data observation within the first reference quarter for which data is available for a given series begin_year 4 2004 Identifies first year for which data is available for a given series end_period 3 Q02 Identifies last data observation within the last reference quarter for which data is available for a given series end_year 4 2018 Identifies last year for which data is available for a given series estimate_code 2 01 Identifies the type and unit of measure for the estimate estimate_text 100 Total compensation Description of the estimate code footnote_code 10 A Identifies footnotes for the series or observations footnote_text 200 Data not available Description of the footnote code industry_code 6 000000 Identifies the industry sector for the estimate, as classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industry_text 100 All industries Description of industry code occupation_code 6 291111 Identifies the occupational group, or family of jobs, for the estimate as classified by the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Numbering conventions may differ from SOC. occupation_text 100 Registered nurses Description of occupation code ownership_code 1 1 Identifies the sector represented by the estimate ownership_text 100 Civilian workers Description of the ownership code period 3 Q01 Identifies period for the data observation periodicity_code 1 I Abbreviation of the period description periodicity_text 30 Index number Period description seasonal 1 U Seasonality indicator code seasonal_text 30 Not seasonally Description of the seasonal code adjusted series_id 17 CIU1010000210000A Unique code identifying the specific series series_title 256 All civilian total Description of the series id compensation for all occupations; cost per hour worked subcell_code 2 23 Job characteristic code identifying the attributes of workers or establishments for the estimate subcell_text 100 Union workers Description of job characteristic code value 12 3.3 Value of the estimate or relative standard error corresponding with the series id year 4 2018 Identifies year of observation