cost of living raise
Cost-of-living Raise
The cost-of-living raise is dependent on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Read the following article to know more about this subject.
There is no cost-of-living index provided by the US government; it uses the consumer price index to determine living costs of the general population. The CPI is the data accumulated over time about what the urban consumers pay for a basket of goods and services. It ruminates on the prices paid by the urban consumers for items like insurance, housing, gas, and food. The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses a geometrical mean formula to calculate it in the basic indexes. This method of calculation isn't comprehensive as it does not take into consideration the consumer substitution for an item in the index.
Calculating CPI
To help you understand, if one of the items is beef and its price rises, the consumers might substitute it for chicken. This consumer substitution is unaccounted for when calculating the consumer price index. It is difficult to take into account the lifestyle changes, pricing, and consumer preferences; hence, the Bureau of Labor Statistics takes a survey of the number of families living under urban conditions to calculate the CPI, which in turn, decides the raise that you get.
2014 Increase
The Bureau of Labor Statistics issues an occupational outlook handbook, which provides information about the education required for a particular job, the earnings, and the job prospects. An employer uses this handbook as a road map to determine the raise in the US economy. Over the years, it has witnessed an average growth of 3.2 to 3.9%. The government decides once a year to raise its percentage for the social security check, and it has gone up considerably over the past 25 years.
The 2013 authorization bill for the department of defense had 1.7% hike for military personnel, and the federal civilian employees will also get an average of around 1.7% or more increase for government jobs in the year 2014.
The Social Security Administration recently announced a 1.5% raise in social security checks for retirees for the year 2014. The increase in 2013 was by 1.7% to the social security benefits. In 2013, due to the economic uncertainty, the raise was not great for many industries, but whatever increment the employees got was more than welcome under the prevalent market conditions.
People living in large metropolitan areas like New York should expect a raise on the higher side of around 4 - 5% in the near future.
- The New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS) has announced that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2014 - 2015 will remain at the current 1.0%, effective from September 2014.
- The healthcare industry has predicted that no substantial raises will be given out for the year 2014.
The United States Congress has voted itself a raise, but for us, we have to hope for a good employer who follows the BLS recommendations. The general trend, however, has indicated an approximate rise of 3 - 4% for the large metropolitan areas and 1 - 2% in other regions.