Department of Labor Reports on Average Hourly Earnings – January 2012

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that real average hourly earnings for all employees increased by 0.2 percent between December 2011 and January 2012, offset by a 0.2 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Over the same period, real average weekly earnings went unchanged over the month as the length of the average work week also remained unchanged. Average hourly earnings have fallen 1 percent over the year. The combination of a 0.6 percent increase in the average work week and declines in average hourly earnings led to a 0.4 percent fall in average weekly earnings for the 12-month period between January 2011 and January 2012.

Production and non-supervisory employees declined by 0.1 percent over the month. However, real average weekly earnings rose 0.2 percent over the same period due to a 0.3 percent growth in the length of the average work week.  Production and non-supervisory employees experienced a continuing decline in real average hourly earnings over the year, falling 1.7 percent between January 2011 and January 2012. The decrease was the result of a combination of falling real average hourly earnings, an over-the-year 1.2 percent increase in the average work week length, and a 0.4 percent decline in real average weekly earnings.

For all employees, real average hourly earnings fell from $10.34 in January 2011 to $10.24 in January 2012. Average weekly hours rose slightly from 34.3 hours to 34.5 hours, over the year. Production and non-supervisory employees experienced an increase in average weekly earnings rising from $784.10 in January 2012 to $803.51 in January 2012. Real average weekly earnings for the group, using the CPI-U for deflation, fell from $354.74 to $353.18, over the year. Average weekly hours increased from 34.3 hours to 34.5 hours, during the same period.