Wage Gains Help Hike Real Earnings 0.5 Percent, Most in Year, BLS Reports

Real average weekly earnings in the private sector grew 0.5 percent for nonsupervisory or production workers in November after holding steady in October, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said Dec. 17.

It was the largest increase since a 1.0 percent gain in November 2012, according to BLS’s seasonally adjusted figures.

Last month’s rise resulted from a 0.1 percent hike in average hourly earnings and a 0.1 hour per week expansion of average work hours. Meanwhile, the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) remained unchanged following a 0.1 percent decline in October. (See ...