Real earnings in April 2011

Real average hourly earnings for all employees declined 0.3 percent from March to April, seasonally adjusted. This decrease stemmed from a 0.1-percent increase in average hourly earnings, which was more than offset by a 0.4-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).

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Real average weekly earnings declined 0.3 percent over the month, as a result of the decrease in real average hourly earnings combined with the average workweek remaining unchanged. Since reaching a recent peak in October 2010, real average weekly earnings have fallen by 1.7 percent.

Over the year (April 2010 to April 2011), real average hourly earnings fell by 1.2 percent, seasonally adjusted. A 0.6-percent increase in average weekly hours combined with the decrease in real average hourly earnings resulted in a 0.6-percent decrease in real average weekly earnings during this period.

These earnings data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. Earnings data for March and April are preliminary and subject to revision. To learn more, see "Real Earnings – April 2011" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-11-0682.