A record 48% of U.S. small business owners said they raised compensation in December and nearly a third said they plan to do so in the coming months, the National Federation of Independent Business said Jan. 6.

WASHINGTON — Wages and salaries jumped in the three months ending in September by the most on records that date back 20 years as companies are forced to offer higher pay to fill a near-record number of available jobs.

Portugal may declare a civil order to ensure that truck drivers, who began a strike Aug. 12, deliver enough fuel to stop gas stations across the country from running dry at the height of the country’s tourism season, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said.

WASHINGTON — U.S. workers saw their wages and benefits grow more slowly in the second quarter, a sign that a tight labor market has yet to accelerate income gains.

U.S. employment costs picked up in the third quarter from the previous three months, helped in part by faster wage gains in manufacturing, the Labor Department said Oct. 31.

Economic growth in recent weeks ranged from “slight to moderate” across the U.S. central bank’s regional districts as wages and inflation remained generally subdued, a Federal Reserve survey showed.

Wage growth is poised to accelerate at small U.S. companies this month after a slowdown in October.