Real earnings in May 2011
June 20, 2011
Real average hourly earnings for all employees rose 0.1 percent from April to May, seasonally adjusted. This change stemmed from a 0.3-percent increase in average hourly earnings, partially offset by a 0.2-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).
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Real average weekly earnings rose 0.1 percent over the month, as a result of the increase in real average hourly earnings combined with the unchanged average workweek. Since reaching a recent peak in October 2010, real average weekly earnings have fallen by 1.4 percent.
Over the year (May 2010 to May 2011), real average hourly earnings fell 1.6 percent, seasonally adjusted. A 0.6-percent increase in average weekly hours combined with the decrease in real average hourly earnings resulted in a 1.0-percent decrease in real average weekly earnings during this period.
These earnings data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. Earnings data for April and May are preliminary and subject to revision. To learn more, see "Real Earnings – May 2011" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-11-0891.
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United States Department of Labor
