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Labor Costs Driving Up The Price Of The '12 Days of Christmas" PITTSBURGH, PA (Associated Press) -

The Maids-A-Milking are holding the line, but the dancers, drummers and pipers are earning more this year.

P-N-C Wealth Management is out with its annual tally of the cost of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

It finds the cost of the entire collection of gifts has gone up three-point-one percent to 18-thousand-920 dollars this year.

P-N-C's chief investment strategist Jeff Kleintop says wages for skilled workers, including dancers and musicians, are on the rise after years of little change.

Based on the pay for the Philadelphia Dance Company, P-N-C found the cost of Nine Ladies Dancing was 47-hundred-59 dollars, up four percent over last year.

By contrast, the Eight Maids-A-Milking were the only service providers who didn't get a raise. That's because they'd be paid the minimum wage of five dollars, 15 cents an hour. That's 41-20 an hour for all eight.
© Copyright 2012, Associated Press