WASHINGTON (AFX) - Tbe employment cost index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8 pct in the first quarter from the previous quarter, the Labor Department said. This is the smallest rise in employment costs since the first quarter of 1999. For the year through March, employment costs rose 3.9 pct. The gain in the first quarter employment cost index was slightly lower than expected. The consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for a 1.0 pct rise. In the fourth quarter, the employment cost index increased 1.0 pct. For the 12 months ending in Dec 2001, the ECI rose 4.1 pct. The rise in the first-quarter ECI was led by benefit costs, which rose 1.0 pct. This was down slightly from the 1.2 pct rise in the fourth quarter, and is the smallest rise since the third quarter of 2000. For the year through March, benefit costs rose 4.9 pct, up from 4.7 pct for the 12 months through Dec 2001. Wages and salaries, which account for 70 pct of compensation, rose 0.8 pct in the first quarter, compared with a 0.9 pct rise in the fourth quarter. Salaries rose 3.5 pct in the year through March, after rising 3.8 pct in the year through Dec 2001. cxa/jsa