March 2012 Real Earnings — 2012-04-13

Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.1 percent from February 2012 to March 2012, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A 0.2 percent increase in the average hourly earnings was more than offset by a 0.3 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Real average weekly earnings fell 0.4 percent over the month due to a 0.3 percent decline in the workweek combined with the decline in real average hourly earnings. Since reaching a peak in October 2010, real average weekly earnings has fallen 1.1 percent. Real average hourly earnings fell 0.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, from March 2011 to March 2012. The decline in real average hourly earnings combined with a 0.6 percent increase in average weekly hours resulted in unchanged real average weekly earnings over this period. Real average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees fell 0.1 percent from February 2012 to March 2012, seasonally adjusted.