Employers are likely to face some increased expenses simply because they can no longer count on shrinking benefit costs.

Even hard-pressed small companies are feeling better about benefit costs.

Throughout the negotiations, the authority's main goal was to rein in its fast-rising benefit costs.

From the employers' perspective, new workers mean additional benefit costs.

It drives up benefit costs, (housing benefit) and means that people can't spend to help the economy.

Health insurance accounts for nearly one-fourth of benefit costs.

State and local government health benefit costs averaged $4.74 per hour worked in September 2011.

Overall compensation costs were also held down by a decline in the growth of benefit costs.

The state is putting enough money into the system to meet current benefit costs, he insisted.

For several years, the shift to managed health care and the rising stock market helped hold benefit cost increases to a minimum.