October 2009 Real Earnings — 2009-11-18

Real average hourly earnings fell 0.1 percent from September to October, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A 0.3 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) slightly offset a 0.3 percent increase in average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory workers. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.1 percent over the month, as a result of a decline in real average hourly earnings and an unchanged average work week. Since reaching a recent high point in December 2008, real average weekly earnings have fallen by 1.9 percent. Real average hourly earnings grew 2.8 percent, seasonally adjusted, from October 2008 to October 2009. A 1.5 percent decline in average weekly hours partly offset the increase in real average hourly earnings and resulted in a 1.2 percent increase in real average weekly earnings during this period.