Average Hourly Earnings Up 3% From a Year Ago

December 15, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that real average hourly earnings is up to $16.35 for November 2005, an increase of 3.2% from $15.84 in November 2004.

Real average weekly earnings rose by 0.6% from October to November. A 0.3% decline in average weekly hours was offset by a 0.2% rise in average hourly earnings and a 0.8% decline in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), according to a BLS news release.

Average weekly earnings was $551.00 for November 2005, compared to $532.22 in November 2004, a 3.5% change.

Broken down by industry sector, utilities topped the list with average hourly earnings of $27.13. Information came in second with $22.72 in average hourly earnings, followed by Construction at $19.67 and Natural Resources and Mining at $19.04. Leisure and Hospitality workers had the lowest average hourly earnings at $9.30.

Data on average weekly earnings are collected from the payroll reports of private non-farm establishments. Earnings of both full-time and part-time workers holding production or non-supervisory jobs are included. Real average weekly earnings are calculated by adjusting earnings in current dollars for changes in the CPI-W.

The BLS press release is here .

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