Wire Embargo Until — 1996-02-06

Real average weekly earnings fell 0.2 percent from November to December after seasonal adjustment, according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The decline stemmed from a 0.3 percent rise in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). This was partly offset by a 0.1 percent increase in average weekly earnings which resulted from an increase of 0.3 percent in average hourly earnings and a decrease of 0.3 percent in average weekly hours. Data on average weekly earnings are collected from the payroll reports of private nonfarm establishments. Earnings of both full-time and part-time workers holding production or nonsupervisory jobs are included. Real average weekly earnings are calculated by adjusting earnings in current dollars for changes in the CPI-W.