Wall Street Journal (04/30/14) Ben Leubsdorf
Labor costs increased slightly in the first quarter, suggesting persistently weak inflation. The employment-cost index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in the quarter, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, down from 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2013. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast a gain of 0.5%. The slowdown is indicative of ongoing weakness in the labor market.