The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
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USDL-22-0416
8:30 a.m. (ET), Thursday, March 10, 2022
Technical Information: (202) 691-6555 • cesinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/ces
Media Contact:
(202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov
REAL EARNINGS – FEBRUARY 2022
All employees
Real average hourly earnings for all employees decreased 0.8 percent from January to February,
seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from
essentially no change in average hourly earnings combined with an increase of 0.8 percent in the
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).
Real average weekly earnings decreased 0.5 percent over the month due to the change in real average
hourly earnings combined with an increase of 0.3 percent in the average workweek.
Chart 1: Over-the-month percent change in real average hourly earnings for all employees, seasonally
adjusted, February 2021–February 2022
Percent Change
Real average hourly earnings decreased 2.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, from February 2021 to
February 2022. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with an increase of 0.3 percent in
the average workweek resulted in a 2.3-percent decrease in real average weekly earnings over this
period.
0.0
-0.6
-0.2
-0.2
-0.4
0.1
-0.1
0.2
-0.3
-0.4
-0.1
0.0
-0.8
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
Feb '21 Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan Feb '22
Production and nonsupervisory employees
Real average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees decreased 0.6 percent from
January to February, seasonally adjusted. This result stems from a 0.3-percent increase in average hourly
earnings combined with an increase of 0.9 percent in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners
and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).
Real average weekly earnings decreased 0.3 percent over the month due to the change in real average
hourly earnings being combined with an increase of 0.3 percent in average weekly hours.
Chart 2: Over-the-month percent change in real average hourly earnings for production and
nonsupervisory employees, seasonally adjusted, February 2021–February 2022
Percent Change
From February 2021 to February 2022, real average hourly earnings decreased 1.9 percent, seasonally
adjusted. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with no change in the average workweek
resulted in a 1.9-percent decrease in real average weekly earnings over this period.
_____________
Real Earnings for March 2022 is scheduled to be released on April 12, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
-0.2
-0.4
-0.1
-0.1
-0.4
0.1
0.1
0.2
-0.3
-0.3
0.1
-0.2
-0.6
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
Feb '21 Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan Feb '22
Table A-1. Current and real (constant 1982-1984 dollars) earnings for all employees on private nonfarm
payrolls, seasonally adjusted
Feb.
2021
Dec.
2021
Jan.
2022p
Feb.
2022p
Real average hourly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$11.41
$11.20
$11.20
$11.11
Real average weekly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$394.68
$389.83
$387.44
$385.61
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
263.346
280.126
281.933
284.182
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$30.04
$31.38
$31.57
$31.58
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34.6
34.8
34.6
34.7
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$1,039.38
$1,092.02
$1,092.32
$1,095.83
OVER-THE-MONTH PERCENT CHANGE
Real average hourly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
-0.1
0.0
-0.8
Real average weekly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-1.2
-0.1
-0.6
-0.5
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.4
0.6
0.6
0.8
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.0
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-1.1
0.0
-0.6
0.3
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-0.8
0.5
0.0
0.3
OVER-THE-YEAR PERCENT CHANGE
Real average hourly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4
-2.1
-1.8
-2.6
Real average weekly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.0
-1.8
-3.0
-2.3
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.7
7.1
7.5
7.9
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.2
4.9
5.5
5.1
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.6
0.3
-1.1
0.3
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.8
5.2
4.3
5.4
1 The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) is used to deflate the earnings series for all employees.
p Preliminary
Table A-2. Current and real (constant 1982-1984 dollars) earnings for production and nonsupervisory
employees on private nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted1
Feb.
2021
Dec.
2021
Jan.
2022p
Feb.
2022p
Real average hourly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$9.82
$9.71
$9.69
$9.63
Real average weekly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$334.78
$331.11
$329.43
$328.54
Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. . . . . . . . . . .
257.296
275.389
277.222
279.612
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$25.26
$26.74
$26.86
$26.94
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34.1
34.1
34.0
34.1
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$861.37
$911.83
$913.24
$918.65
OVER-THE-MONTH PERCENT CHANGE
Real average hourly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-0.2
0.1
-0.2
-0.6
Real average weekly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-1.1
-0.2
-0.5
-0.3
Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. . . . . . . . . . .
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.9
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.3
0.7
0.4
0.3
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-0.9
-0.3
-0.3
0.3
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-0.6
0.4
0.2
0.6
OVER-THE-YEAR PERCENT CHANGE
Real average hourly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2
-1.5
-1.5
-1.9
Real average weekly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.3
-1.9
-2.6
-1.9
Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. . . . . . . . . . .
2.0
7.9
8.3
8.7
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.1
6.2
6.7
6.7
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.2
-0.3
-1.2
0.0
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.4
5.9
5.4
6.6
1 Data relate to production employees in mining and logging and manufacturing, construction employees in construction, and nonsupervisory
employees in the service-providing industries. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employment on private nonfarm
payrolls.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to deflate the earnings series for production and
nonsupervisory employees.
p Preliminary
Technical Note
The earnings series presented in this release are
derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’
Current Employment Statistics
(CES)
survey,
a monthly establishment survey of employment,
payroll, and hours. The deflators used for constant-
dollar earnings series presented in this release come
from the Consumer Price Indexes Program. The
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U) is used to deflate earnings for the all
employees series, while the Consumer Price Index
for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
(CPI-W)
is used
to deflate earnings for the
production and nonsupervisory employees series.
Seasonally
adjusted
data
are
used
for
estimates of percent change from the same month
a year ago for current and constant average hourly
and weekly earnings. Special techniques are applied to
the CES
hours
and
earnings
data
in
the
seasonal adjustment process to mitigate the effect
of certain calendar-related fluctuations. Thus, over-
the-year changes of these hours and earnings are best
measured using
seasonally
adjusted
series. A
discussion of the calendar-related fluctuations in the
hours and earnings data and the special techniques
to remove them is available at https://
www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cestn.htm#section6e.
Earnings
series
from
the
monthly
establishment
survey
are
estimated
arithmetic
averages (means) of the hourly and weekly earnings
of all jobs in the private nonfarm sector of the
economy, as well as of all production and
nonsupervisory jobs in the private nonfarm sector
of the economy. Average hourly earnings estimates
are derived by dividing the estimated industry
payroll by the corresponding paid hours. Average
weekly hours estimates are similarly derived by
dividing
estimated
aggregate
hours
by
the
corresponding number of
jobs. Average weekly
earnings estimates are derived by multiplying
the average hourly earnings and the average weekly
hours estimates. This is equivalent to dividing the
estimated payroll by the corresponding number of
jobs. The weekly and hourly earnings estimates for
aggregate industries, such as the total private sector
averages printed in this release, are derived by
summing the corresponding payroll, hours, and
employment
estimates
of
the
component
industries. As a result, each industry receives a
"weight" in the published averages that corresponds to
its current
level of activity
(employment or
total hours). This further implies that fluctuations
and varying trends in employment in high-wage
versus low-wage industries as well as wage rate
changes influence the earnings averages.
There are several characteristics of the series
presented in this release that limit their suitability
for some types of economic analyses. (1) The
denominator for the all employee weekly earnings
series is the number of private nonfarm jobs.
Similarly,
the denominator of
the production
and nonsupervisory employee weekly
earnings
series
is
the
number
of
private
nonfarm
production and nonsupervisory employee jobs. This
number includes full-time and part-time jobs as well as
the
jobs held by multiple
jobholders
in
the
private nonfarm sector. These factors tend to result in
weekly earnings
averages
significantly
lower
than
the corresponding numbers for full-time jobs.
(2)
Annual
earnings
averages
can
differ
significantly
from
the
result
obtained
by
multiplying
average weekly
earnings times 52
weeks. The difference may be due to factors such as
turnovers and layoffs. (3) The series are the average
earnings of all employees or all production and
nonsupervisory jobs, not the earnings average of
"typical" jobs or jobs held by "typical" workers.
Specifically,
there
are
no
adjustments
for
occupational, age, or schooling variations or for
household type or location. Many studies have
established the significance of these factors and that
their impact varies over time.
Seasonally adjusted data are preferred by some
users for analyzing general earnings trends in the
economy since
they eliminate
the effect of
changes that normally occur at the same time and in
about the same magnitude each year and, therefore,
reveal the underlying trends and cyclical movements.
Changes in average earnings may be due to seasonal
changes in the proportion of workers in high-wage
and low-wage industries or occupations or to seasonal
changes in the amount of overtime work, and so on.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications
relay services.
USDL-22-0416
8:30 a.m. (ET), Thursday, March 10, 2022
Technical Information: (202) 691-6555 • cesinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/ces
Media Contact:
(202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov
REAL EARNINGS – FEBRUARY 2022
All employees
Real average hourly earnings for all employees decreased 0.8 percent from January to February,
seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from
essentially no change in average hourly earnings combined with an increase of 0.8 percent in the
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).
Real average weekly earnings decreased 0.5 percent over the month due to the change in real average
hourly earnings combined with an increase of 0.3 percent in the average workweek.
Chart 1: Over-the-month percent change in real average hourly earnings for all employees, seasonally
adjusted, February 2021–February 2022
Percent Change
Real average hourly earnings decreased 2.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, from February 2021 to
February 2022. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with an increase of 0.3 percent in
the average workweek resulted in a 2.3-percent decrease in real average weekly earnings over this
period.
0.0
-0.6
-0.2
-0.2
-0.4
0.1
-0.1
0.2
-0.3
-0.4
-0.1
0.0
-0.8
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
Feb '21 Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan Feb '22
Production and nonsupervisory employees
Real average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees decreased 0.6 percent from
January to February, seasonally adjusted. This result stems from a 0.3-percent increase in average hourly
earnings combined with an increase of 0.9 percent in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners
and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).
Real average weekly earnings decreased 0.3 percent over the month due to the change in real average
hourly earnings being combined with an increase of 0.3 percent in average weekly hours.
Chart 2: Over-the-month percent change in real average hourly earnings for production and
nonsupervisory employees, seasonally adjusted, February 2021–February 2022
Percent Change
From February 2021 to February 2022, real average hourly earnings decreased 1.9 percent, seasonally
adjusted. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with no change in the average workweek
resulted in a 1.9-percent decrease in real average weekly earnings over this period.
_____________
Real Earnings for March 2022 is scheduled to be released on April 12, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
-0.2
-0.4
-0.1
-0.1
-0.4
0.1
0.1
0.2
-0.3
-0.3
0.1
-0.2
-0.6
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
Feb '21 Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan Feb '22
Table A-1. Current and real (constant 1982-1984 dollars) earnings for all employees on private nonfarm
payrolls, seasonally adjusted
Feb.
2021
Dec.
2021
Jan.
2022p
Feb.
2022p
Real average hourly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$11.41
$11.20
$11.20
$11.11
Real average weekly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$394.68
$389.83
$387.44
$385.61
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
263.346
280.126
281.933
284.182
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$30.04
$31.38
$31.57
$31.58
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34.6
34.8
34.6
34.7
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$1,039.38
$1,092.02
$1,092.32
$1,095.83
OVER-THE-MONTH PERCENT CHANGE
Real average hourly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
-0.1
0.0
-0.8
Real average weekly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-1.2
-0.1
-0.6
-0.5
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.4
0.6
0.6
0.8
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.0
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-1.1
0.0
-0.6
0.3
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-0.8
0.5
0.0
0.3
OVER-THE-YEAR PERCENT CHANGE
Real average hourly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4
-2.1
-1.8
-2.6
Real average weekly earnings1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.0
-1.8
-3.0
-2.3
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.7
7.1
7.5
7.9
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.2
4.9
5.5
5.1
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.6
0.3
-1.1
0.3
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.8
5.2
4.3
5.4
1 The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) is used to deflate the earnings series for all employees.
p Preliminary
Table A-2. Current and real (constant 1982-1984 dollars) earnings for production and nonsupervisory
employees on private nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted1
Feb.
2021
Dec.
2021
Jan.
2022p
Feb.
2022p
Real average hourly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$9.82
$9.71
$9.69
$9.63
Real average weekly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$334.78
$331.11
$329.43
$328.54
Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. . . . . . . . . . .
257.296
275.389
277.222
279.612
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$25.26
$26.74
$26.86
$26.94
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34.1
34.1
34.0
34.1
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$861.37
$911.83
$913.24
$918.65
OVER-THE-MONTH PERCENT CHANGE
Real average hourly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-0.2
0.1
-0.2
-0.6
Real average weekly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-1.1
-0.2
-0.5
-0.3
Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. . . . . . . . . . .
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.9
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.3
0.7
0.4
0.3
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-0.9
-0.3
-0.3
0.3
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-0.6
0.4
0.2
0.6
OVER-THE-YEAR PERCENT CHANGE
Real average hourly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2
-1.5
-1.5
-1.9
Real average weekly earnings2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.3
-1.9
-2.6
-1.9
Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. . . . . . . . . . .
2.0
7.9
8.3
8.7
Average hourly earnings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.1
6.2
6.7
6.7
Average weekly hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.2
-0.3
-1.2
0.0
Average weekly earnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.4
5.9
5.4
6.6
1 Data relate to production employees in mining and logging and manufacturing, construction employees in construction, and nonsupervisory
employees in the service-providing industries. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employment on private nonfarm
payrolls.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to deflate the earnings series for production and
nonsupervisory employees.
p Preliminary
Technical Note
The earnings series presented in this release are
derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’
Current Employment Statistics
(CES)
survey,
a monthly establishment survey of employment,
payroll, and hours. The deflators used for constant-
dollar earnings series presented in this release come
from the Consumer Price Indexes Program. The
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U) is used to deflate earnings for the all
employees series, while the Consumer Price Index
for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
(CPI-W)
is used
to deflate earnings for the
production and nonsupervisory employees series.
Seasonally
adjusted
data
are
used
for
estimates of percent change from the same month
a year ago for current and constant average hourly
and weekly earnings. Special techniques are applied to
the CES
hours
and
earnings
data
in
the
seasonal adjustment process to mitigate the effect
of certain calendar-related fluctuations. Thus, over-
the-year changes of these hours and earnings are best
measured using
seasonally
adjusted
series. A
discussion of the calendar-related fluctuations in the
hours and earnings data and the special techniques
to remove them is available at https://
www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cestn.htm#section6e.
Earnings
series
from
the
monthly
establishment
survey
are
estimated
arithmetic
averages (means) of the hourly and weekly earnings
of all jobs in the private nonfarm sector of the
economy, as well as of all production and
nonsupervisory jobs in the private nonfarm sector
of the economy. Average hourly earnings estimates
are derived by dividing the estimated industry
payroll by the corresponding paid hours. Average
weekly hours estimates are similarly derived by
dividing
estimated
aggregate
hours
by
the
corresponding number of
jobs. Average weekly
earnings estimates are derived by multiplying
the average hourly earnings and the average weekly
hours estimates. This is equivalent to dividing the
estimated payroll by the corresponding number of
jobs. The weekly and hourly earnings estimates for
aggregate industries, such as the total private sector
averages printed in this release, are derived by
summing the corresponding payroll, hours, and
employment
estimates
of
the
component
industries. As a result, each industry receives a
"weight" in the published averages that corresponds to
its current
level of activity
(employment or
total hours). This further implies that fluctuations
and varying trends in employment in high-wage
versus low-wage industries as well as wage rate
changes influence the earnings averages.
There are several characteristics of the series
presented in this release that limit their suitability
for some types of economic analyses. (1) The
denominator for the all employee weekly earnings
series is the number of private nonfarm jobs.
Similarly,
the denominator of
the production
and nonsupervisory employee weekly
earnings
series
is
the
number
of
private
nonfarm
production and nonsupervisory employee jobs. This
number includes full-time and part-time jobs as well as
the
jobs held by multiple
jobholders
in
the
private nonfarm sector. These factors tend to result in
weekly earnings
averages
significantly
lower
than
the corresponding numbers for full-time jobs.
(2)
Annual
earnings
averages
can
differ
significantly
from
the
result
obtained
by
multiplying
average weekly
earnings times 52
weeks. The difference may be due to factors such as
turnovers and layoffs. (3) The series are the average
earnings of all employees or all production and
nonsupervisory jobs, not the earnings average of
"typical" jobs or jobs held by "typical" workers.
Specifically,
there
are
no
adjustments
for
occupational, age, or schooling variations or for
household type or location. Many studies have
established the significance of these factors and that
their impact varies over time.
Seasonally adjusted data are preferred by some
users for analyzing general earnings trends in the
economy since
they eliminate
the effect of
changes that normally occur at the same time and in
about the same magnitude each year and, therefore,
reveal the underlying trends and cyclical movements.
Changes in average earnings may be due to seasonal
changes in the proportion of workers in high-wage
and low-wage industries or occupations or to seasonal
changes in the amount of overtime work, and so on.
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