Jan Feb Updating Salary Survey Data As a newly hired compensation analyst, you've been asked by the Director of Compensation to assist with the preparation of next year's compensation plan for accounting jobs. The period for the compensation plan is January 1 December 31, 2018. Your assignment is to update salary survey data using the CPI-U to estimate new salary information. Also, assume that it is July 1, 2017, and you have been asked to submit your analysis within the next two days. The salary survey data were current through the end of 2016, and the initial average salary reported for accountant jobs in the survey was $50,000. The salary data will be 12 and 24 months old at the pay plan's implementation (on January 1, 2018) and end (December 31, 2018), respectively. You have been provided with national CPH-U data, which were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website Year Mar Apr May Jun Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2012 236 84 23732 237.80 238 18 237 71 23752 23759 238.91 240.01 240.63 240.24 240.22 2013 240 67 241.93 241 28 240 79 240.89 241.44 241 90 24245 24254 242.66 243 10 243.71 244 34 244.52 244.95 245.46 24586 246.18 246.48 246.43 246.45 246.44 246 04 245 27 2015 243.83 244 27 244.95 245.16 245 95 246 61 246.99 246.98 246.46 246.76 24707 248 82 2016 246.99 246.53 247.02 247 84 248.43 249 07 249.05 249.56 250 01 250 66 251.08 251.78 2017 253.02 253.10 252.71 253.08 252.91 253 03 2014 The percent change in the cost of goods and services between December 2016 and June 2017 is Enter your answer in the