TEXT
Table A. Composition of change in real earnings of production or
Table 1. Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private
Table 1. Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private
Table 2. Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private


Technical information: (202) 606-6555     USDL 96-333
Media contact:               606-5902
 
                                          WIRE EMBARGO UNTIL
                                          10:00 A.M. (EDT) TUESDAY,
                                          AUGUST 13, 1996
 
 
 
                     REAL EARNINGS IN JULY 1996
 
    Real average weekly earnings fell by 1.5 percent from June to
July after seasonal adjustment, according to preliminary data
released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor.  This decrease followed a sharp increase in
June (2.2 percent).  The large decrease in July resulted from
declines in both average weekly hours (1.2 percent) and average
hourly earnings (0.2  percent).  A 0.2 percent rise in the Consumer
Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also
contributed to the decline.
 
    Data on average weekly earnings are collected from the payroll
reports of private nonfarm establishments.  Earnings of both full-time
and part-time workers holding production or nonsupervisory jobs are
included.  Real average weekly earnings are calculated by adjusting
earnings in current dollars for changes in the CPI-W.
 
    Average weekly earnings rose by 2.5 percent between July
of 1995 and 1996 as a result of a 3.1 percent increase in average
hourly earnings, which was partially offset by a 0.6 percent decrease
in average weekly hours.  After adjustment for a 2.9 percent gain in
the CPI-W over the same period, real average weekly earnings fell by
0.4 percent.  This decline followed an increase of 1.7 percent for
the year ended in June 1996.  Before adjustment for seasonal change and
deflation by the CPI-W, average weekly earnings were $406.20 in July
1996, compared with $396.37 a year earlier.
 
 
                   _____________________________
 
 
     Real Earnings for August 1996 will be released on Friday,
September 13, 1996.
Table A. Composition of change in real earnings of production or
nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls
________________________________________________________________________
            |           |           |           |           |
            |  Average  |  Average  |  Average  |    The    |    Real
            |   hourly  |   weekly  |   weekly  |  Consumer |  average
   Year     |  earnings |   hours   |  earnings |   Price   |   weekly
    and     |           |           |           |  Index1/  |  earnings
   month    |___________|___________|___________|___________|___________
            |
            |  Percent change from preceding month, seasonally adjusted
____________|___________________________________________________________
            |           |           |           |           |
1995:       |           |           |           |           |
    July    |     0.3   |     0.3   |     0.6   |     0.0   |     0.6
    Aug.    |     -.1   |     -.3   |     -.4   |      .2   |     -.6
    Sept.   |      .5   |      .0   |      .5   |      .1   |      .4
    Oct.    |      .3   |      .3   |      .6   |      .3   |      .2
    Nov.    |      .3   |     -.3   |      .1   |      .1   |    (2)
    Dec.    |      .2   |     -.3   |     -.1   |      .2   |     -.3
1996:       |           |           |           |           |
    Jan.    |      .1   |    -1.5   |    -1.4   |      .4   |    -1.8
    Feb.    |      .3   |     2.1   |     2.3   |      .2   |     2.1
    Mar.    |      .3   |      .0   |      .3   |      .5   |     -.2
    Apr.    |      .3   |     -.6   |     -.2   |      .4   |     -.6
    May     |      .1   |     -.3   |     -.2   |      .3   |     -.5
    Junep   |      .8   |     1.5   |     2.2   |      .1   |     2.2
    Julyp   |     -.2   |    -1.2   |    -1.3   |      .2   |    -1.5
            |___________________________________________________________
            |
            |         Percent change from same month a year ago
            |___________________________________________________________
            |           |           |           |           |
1995:       |           |           |           |           |
    July    |     3.1   |    -0.3   |     2.8   |     2.8   |    (2)
    Aug.    |     3.0   |     -.6   |     2.4   |     2.5   |     -.1
    Sept.   |     3.0   |     -.6   |     2.4   |     2.5   |     -.1
    Oct.    |     2.9   |     -.9   |     2.0   |     2.7   |     -.6
    Nov.    |     2.9   |     -.6   |     2.3   |     2.4   |     -.1
    Dec.    |     3.0   |     -.9   |     2.1   |     2.5   |     -.4
1996:       |           |           |           |           |
    Jan.    |     3.2   |    -2.9   |      .2   |     2.6   |    -2.5
    Feb.    |     3.0   |     -.3   |     2.7   |     2.6   |    (2)
    Mar.    |     3.1   |      .0   |     3.1   |     2.8   |      .3
    Apr.    |     3.2   |     -.6   |     2.6   |     2.9   |     -.3
    May     |     3.3   |      .3   |     3.6   |     2.9   |      .6
    Junep   |     3.6   |      .9   |     4.5   |     2.8   |     1.7
    Julyp   |     3.1   |     -.6   |     2.5   |     2.9   |     -.4
____________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________
 
 1/ The deflator for the constant-dollar series presented in this
release is the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical
Workers (CPI-W).
  2  Less than 0.05 percent.
  p = preliminary.
 
 
Table 1. Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls in current and constant dollars1/ by industry
____________________________________________________________________
                          |
                          |         Average hourly earnings
                          |_________________________________________
                          |        |        |        |
         Industry         |        |        |        |    Percent
                          |   July |   June |   July |    change
                          |   1995 |   1996p|   1996p|  July 1995 -
                          |        |        |        |  July 1996
__________________________|________|________|________|______________
                          |        |        |        |
Total private:2/          |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| $11.39 | $11.75 | $11.74 |      3.1
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.36 |   7.39 |   7.37 |       .1
                          |        |        |        |
Goods-producing:          |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  13.14 |  13.45 |  13.58 |      3.3
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.49 |   8.46 |   8.53 |       .5
                          |        |        |        |
Mining:                   |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  15.34 |  15.57 |  15.61 |      1.8
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.92 |   9.79 |   9.81 |     -1.1
                          |        |        |        |
Construction:             |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  15.14 |  15.33 |  15.51 |      2.4
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.79 |   9.64 |   9.74 |      -.5
                          |        |        |        |
Manufacturing:            |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  12.39 |  12.76 |  12.83 |      3.6
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.01 |   8.03 |   8.06 |       .6
                          |        |        |        |
Service-producing:        |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  10.81 |  11.18 |  11.12 |      2.9
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   6.99 |   7.03 |   6.98 |      -.1
                          |        |        |        |
Transportation and public |        |        |        |
     utilities:           |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  14.25 |  14.44 |  14.47 |      1.5
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.21 |   9.08 |   9.09 |     -1.3
                          |        |        |        |
Wholesale trade:          |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  12.45 |  12.85 |  12.77 |      2.6
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.05 |   8.08 |   8.02 |      -.4
                          |        |        |        |
Retail trade:             |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|   7.66 |   7.95 |   7.92 |      3.4
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   4.95 |   5.00 |   4.97 |       .4
                          |        |        |        |
Finance, insurance,       |        |        |        |
     and real estate:     |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  12.32 |  12.76 |  12.69 |      3.0
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.96 |   8.03 |   7.97 |       .1
                          |        |        |        |
Services:                 |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|  11.26 |  11.67 |  11.61 |      3.1
 Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.28 |   7.34 |   7.29 |       .1
__________________________|________|________|________|______________
 
See footnotes at end of table.
 
 
Table 1. Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls in current and constant dollars1/ by industry -
Continued
____________________________________________________________________
                          |
                          |         Average weekly earnings
                          |_________________________________________
                          |        |        |        |
         Industry         |        |        |        |    Percent
                          |   July |   June |   July |    change
                          |   1995 |   1996p|   1996p|  July 1995 -
                          |        |        |        |  July 1996
__________________________|________|________|________|______________
                          |        |        |        |
Total private:2/          |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........|$396.37 |$410.08 |$406.20 |      2.5
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 256.22 | 257.91 | 255.15 |      -.4
                          |        |        |        |
Goods-producing:          |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 534.80 | 556.83 | 555.42 |      3.9
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 345.70 | 350.21 | 348.88 |       .9
                          |        |        |        |
Mining:                   |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 682.63 | 716.22 | 700.89 |      2.7
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 441.26 | 450.45 | 440.26 |      -.2
                          |        |        |        |
Construction:             |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 605.60 | 607.07 | 617.30 |      1.9
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 391.47 | 381.81 | 387.75 |     -1.0
                          |        |        |        |
Manufacturing:            |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 505.51 | 534.64 | 527.31 |      4.3
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 326.77 | 336.25 | 331.22 |      1.4
                          |        |        |        |
Service-producing:        |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 358.89 | 371.18 | 366.96 |      2.2
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 231.99 | 233.45 | 230.50 |      -.6
                          |        |        |        |
Transportation and public |        |        |        |
     utilities:           |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 571.43 | 579.04 | 573.01 |       .3
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 369.38 | 364.18 | 359.93 |     -2.6
                          |        |        |        |
Wholesale trade:          |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 479.33 | 498.58 | 489.09 |      2.0
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 309.84 | 313.57 | 307.22 |      -.8
                          |        |        |        |
Retail trade:             |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 227.50 | 233.73 | 234.43 |      3.0
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 147.06 | 147.00 | 147.26 |       .1
                          |        |        |        |
Finance, insurance,       |        |        |        |
     and real estate:     |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 447.22 | 465.74 | 450.50 |       .7
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 289.09 | 292.92 | 282.98 |     -2.1
                          |        |        |        |
Services:                 |        |        |        |
 Current dollars..........| 369.33 | 382.78 | 377.33 |      2.2
 Constant (1982) dollars..| 238.74 | 240.74 | 237.02 |      -.7
__________________________|________|________|________|______________
 1/ The deflator for the constant-dollar series presented in this
release is the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and
Clerical Workers (CPI-W).
 2/ Data relate to production and related workers in mining and
manufacturing; construction workers in construction; and
nonsupervisory workers in transportation and public utilities,
trade, finance, insurance, and real estate, and services. Included
in this group are approximately four-fifths of all jobs on private
industry payrolls.
p = preliminary.
 
 
Table 2. Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls1/, seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________
             |                             |
             |                             |
             |        Average hourly       |        Average weekly
             |           earnings          |           earnings
             |                             |
    Year     |_____________________________|_____________________________
     and     |              |              |              |
    month    |              |              |              |
             |    Current   |   Constant   |    Current   |   Constant
             |    dollars   |    (1982)    |    dollars   |    (1982)
             |              |   dollars2/  |              |   dollars2/
             |              |              |              |
_____________|______________|______________|______________|______________
             |              |              |              |
1995:        |              |              |              |
    July     |    $11.47    |     $7.41    |   $395.72    |   $255.80
    Aug.     |     11.46    |      7.39    |    394.22    |    254.34
    Sept.    |     11.52    |      7.42    |    396.29    |    255.34
    Oct.     |     11.55    |      7.42    |    398.48    |    255.93
    Nov.     |     11.59    |      7.44    |    398.70    |    255.91
    Dec.     |     11.61    |      7.44    |    398.22    |    255.11
1996:        |              |              |              |
    Jan.     |     11.62    |      7.41    |    392.76    |    250.48
    Feb.     |     11.65    |      7.42    |    401.93    |    255.84
    Mar.     |     11.68    |      7.40    |    402.96    |    255.36
    Apr.     |     11.72    |      7.40    |    402.00    |    253.79
    May      |     11.73    |      7.38    |    401.17    |    252.47
    June p   |     11.82    |      7.43    |    410.15    |    257.96
    July p   |     11.80    |      7.41    |    404.74    |    254.07
_____________|______________|______________|______________|______________
 
 1/ See footnote 2, table 1.
 2/ The deflator for the constant-dollar series presented in this release
is the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
(CPI-W).
  p = preliminary.