August 2011 Real Earnings — 2011-09-15

Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.6 percent from July to August, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This decrease stems from a 0.1 percent decrease in average hourly earnings and a 0.4 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Real average weekly earnings fell 0.8 percent over the month, as a result of the 0.3 percent decrease in the average workweek and the decrease in real average hourly earnings. Since reaching a recent peak in October 2010, real average weekly earnings have fallen 2.2 percent. Real average hourly earnings fell 1.9 percent, seasonally adjusted, from August 2010 to August 2011. This decrease combined with unchanged average weekly hours resulted in a 1.8 percent decrease in real average weekly earnings during the same period. Real average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees fell 0.6 percent from July to August, seasonally adjusted.