December 2011 Real Earnings — 2012-01-19

Real average hourly earnings for all employees rose 0.2 percent from November to December, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This change stems from a 0.2 percent increase in average hourly earnings, while the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) remained unchanged. Real average weekly earnings rose 0.5 percent over the month, as a result of the increase in real average hourly earnings and a 0.3 percent rise in the average workweek. Since reaching a peak in October 2010, real average weekly earnings have fallen 1.1 percent. Real average hourly earnings fell 0.9 percent, seasonally adjusted, from December 2010 to December 2011. A 0.6 percent increase in the average workweek, combined with the decline in real average hourly earnings, resulted in a 0.3 percent decrease in real average weekly earnings during the same period. Real average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees remained the same from November to December, seasonally adjusted.