• U.S. Workers Pay Declined in Real Value, Again – September 2012

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Change From August: Hourly Earnings: Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.3 percent from August to September, seasonally adjusted. Click on chart to enlarge This decline resulted from a 0.3 percent increase in average hourly earnings being more than offset by a 0.6 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Weekly Earnings: Real average weekly earnings were unchanged over the month due to the decrease in real average hourly earnings combined with a 0.3 percent increase in the average workweek. Since reaching a peak in October 2010, real average weekly earnings have fallen 1.3 percent. Change From September 2011: Hourly Earnings:Real average hourly earnings fell 0.2 percent, seasonally adjusted, from September 2011 to September 2012. Weekly Earnings:The decrease in real average hourly earnings, combined with a 0.3 percent increase in the average workweek, resulted in a 0.1 percent increase in real average weekly earnings over this period. Source: USDOL-BLS *Note: Real earnings show the effect of inflation on your pay. If your salary went up by 2.1% over the year while the cost-of-living (CPI-U) rose 2.3%, then the “real” value of your salary fell by 0.2%.

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