WASHINGTON (AP) — Pay and benefits for America’s workers grew more quickly in the first three months of this year, a trend that could contribute to higher inflation and raise concerns about the future path of price increases at the Federal Reserve.
Compensation as measured by the government’s Employment Cost Index rose 1.2% in the January-March quarter, up from a 0.9% increase in the previous quarter, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Compared with the same quarter a year earlier, compensation growth was 4.2%, the same as the previous quarter.
The increase in wages and benefits is good for employees, to be sure, but could add to concerns at the Fed that inflation may remain too high in the coming months. The Fed is expected to keep its key short-term rate unchanged after its latest policy meeting concludes Wednesday.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other officials have recently backed away from signaling that the Fed will necessarily cut rates this year, after several months of higher-than-expected inflation readings. Big price increases for rents, car insurance and health care have kept inflation stubbornly above the Fed’s 2% inflation target.
‘The Blue Angels,’ filmed for IMAX, puts viewers in the ‘box’ with the elite flying squad
China to Establish National Park at Qinghai Lake
China Int'l Big Data Industry Expo 2022 Opens Online in Guizhou
‘The Blue Angels,’ filmed for IMAX, puts viewers in the ‘box’ with the elite flying squad
China Adds 6.5 Mln Master's Graduates in 10 Years
Professional ski instructor from New Zealand provides ski training in China
Ricky Stenhouse punching Kyle Busch could lead to suspension
China's Jiangsu to Create 14,000 New Jobs for Disabled People in 2022
'The Apprentice,' about a young Donald Trump, premieres in Cannes
Farmers Reap Winter Wheat in Gaomiaoli Village, East China's Shandong