Southern California bosses giving nation’s biggest pay hikes, data shows

Has a shortage of workers forced Southern California bosses to pay up for talent?
Well, one federal yardstick shows Southern California pay is rising at the fastest pace in the nation.
The Employment Cost Index measures what workers cost bosses. This math shows wages and salaries rising at a 4.3% annual rate in the 12 months ended in June in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. That’s the fattest of wage hikes among the 15 regions tracked across the nation.