Chart: Real earnings changes by month since November 2009

Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.1 percent from October to November, seasonally adjusted. This decrease stems from a 0.1-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), while average hourly earnings remained unchanged.

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Real average weekly earnings fell 0.1 percent over the month, as the average workweek remained unchanged and real average hourly earnings declined.

Real average hourly earnings rose 0.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, from November 2009 to November 2010. A 1.2-percent increase in average weekly hours, combined with the increase in real average hourly earnings, resulted in a 1.7-percent increase in real average weekly earnings during this period.

This earnings data is from the Current Employment Statistics program. Earnings data for October and November is preliminary and subject to revision. To learn more, see "Real Earnings — November 2010" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-10-1727.