TEXT
Table A.    Composition of change in real earnings of production or
Table 1.   Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
Table 1.   Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
Table 2.   Earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private


 
Technical information: (202) 606-6555      USDL 96-144
Media contact:               606-5902
 
                                        WIRE EMBARGO UNTIL
                                        10:00 AM (EDT) FRIDAY,
                                        APRIL 12, 1996
 
 
 
 
                    REAL EARNINGS IN MARCH 1996
 
     Real average weekly earnings fell 0.5 percent from February to
March after seasonal adjustment, according to preliminary data released
today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor.  Average weekly earnings were about unchanged as an increase of
0.3 percent in average hourly earnings was offset by a decrease of 0.3
percent in average weekly hours, which was primarily a result of a strike
in the auto manufacturing industry and subsequent plant shutdowns.  The
decline stemmed from a 0.5 percent rise in the Consumer Price Index for
Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).
 
     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 2.6 percent between March of 1995
and 1996 as a result of a 2.9 percent increase in average hourly earnings
which was partially offset by a 0.3 percent decline in average weekly
hours.  After adjustment for a 2.8 percent gain in the CPI-W over the
same period, real average weekly earnings fell by 0.2 percent.
Before adjustment for seasonal change and deflation by the CPI-W,
average weekly earnings were $399.80 in March 1996, compared with
$389.65 a year earlier.
 
 
 
                   _____________________________
 
 
     Real Earnings for April 1996 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday,
May 14, 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:        |            |            |            |            |
        Mar.     |     0.2    |     0.0    |     0.2    |     0.3    |    -0.1
        Apr.     |      .5    |      .0    |      .5    |      .3    |      .2
        May      |     -.3    |    -1.2    |    -1.4    |      .3    |    -1.7
        June     |      .5    |      .6    |     1.1    |      .2    |      .9
        July     |      .6    |      .6    |     1.2    |      .0    |     1.2
        Aug.     |     -.2    |     -.6    |     -.8    |      .2    |     -.9
        Sept.    |      .5    |      .3    |      .8    |      .1    |      .7
        Oct.     |      .4    |      .3    |      .7    |      .3    |      .4
        Nov.     |     -.1    |     -.6    |     -.7    |      .1    |     -.7
        Dec.     |      .3    |     -.3    |     (2)    |      .2    |     -.2
    1996:        |            |            |            |            |
        Jan.     |      .3    |    -1.5    |    -1.1    |      .4    |    -1.6
        Feb.p    |      .0    |     2.4    |     2.4    |      .2    |     2.2
        Mar.p    |      .3    |     -.3    |     (2)    |      .5    |     -.5
                 |________________________________________________________________
                 |
                 |            Percent change from same month a year ago
                 |________________________________________________________________
                 |            |            |            |            |
    1995:        |            |            |            |            |
        Mar.     |     2.9    |    -0.3    |     2.6    |     3.0    |    -0.4
        Apr.     |     3.1    |     -.6    |     2.5    |     3.2    |     -.7
        May      |     2.6    |    -1.4    |     1.1    |     3.2    |    -2.1
        June     |     3.0    |     -.6    |     2.4    |     3.1    |     -.6
        July     |     3.3    |     -.3    |     3.0    |     2.8    |      .2
        Aug.     |     3.1    |     -.6    |     2.5    |     2.5    |     (2)
        Sept.    |     3.1    |     -.6    |     2.5    |     2.5    |     (2)
        Oct.     |     2.9    |     -.9    |     2.0    |     2.7    |     -.6
        Nov.     |     2.9    |     -.6    |     2.3    |     2.4    |     -.1
        Dec.     |     3.1    |     -.9    |     2.2    |     2.5    |     -.3
    1996:        |            |            |            |            |
        Jan.     |     3.2    |    -2.6    |      .5    |     2.6    |    -2.2
        Feb.p    |     2.9    |      .0    |     2.9    |     2.6    |      .2
        Mar.p    |     2.9    |     -.3    |     2.6    |     2.8    |     -.2
    _____________|____________|____________|____________|____________|____________
 
     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
                                 |   Mar. |   Feb. |   Mar. |    change
                                 |   1995 |   1996p|   1996p|  Mar. 1995 -
                                 |        |        |        |  Mar. 1996
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
                                 |        |        |        |
       Total private:2/          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| $11.36 | $11.69 | $11.69 |      2.9
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.40 |   7.44 |   7.41 |       .1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Goods-producing:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.86 |  13.17 |  13.14 |      2.2
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.38 |   8.38 |   8.33 |      -.6
                                 |        |        |        |
       Mining:                   |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  15.24 |  15.62 |  15.55 |      2.0
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.93 |   9.94 |   9.85 |      -.8
                                 |        |        |        |
       Construction:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  14.84 |  15.09 |  15.08 |      1.6
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.67 |   9.61 |   9.56 |     -1.1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Manufacturing:            |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.25 |  12.56 |  12.52 |      2.2
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.98 |   7.99 |   7.93 |      -.6
                                 |        |        |        |
       Service-producing:        |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  10.84 |  11.20 |  11.21 |      3.4
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.06 |   7.13 |   7.10 |       .6
                                 |        |        |        |
       Transportation and public |        |        |        |
            utilities:           |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  14.06 |  14.42 |  14.39 |      2.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.16 |   9.18 |   9.12 |      -.4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Wholesale trade:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.25 |  12.60 |  12.61 |      2.9
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.98 |   8.02 |   7.99 |       .1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Retail trade:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|   7.63 |   7.85 |   7.90 |      3.5
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   4.97 |   5.00 |   5.01 |       .8
                                 |        |        |        |
       Finance, insurance,       |        |        |        |
            and real estate:     |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.21 |  12.72 |  12.76 |      4.5
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.95 |   8.10 |   8.09 |      1.8
                                 |        |        |        |
       Services:                 |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  11.36 |  11.74 |  11.74 |      3.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.40 |   7.47 |   7.44 |       .5
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
 
       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
                                 |   Mar. |   Feb. |   Mar. |    change
                                 |   1995 |   1996p|   1996p|  Mar. 1995 -
                                 |        |        |        |  Mar. 1996
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
                                 |        |        |        |
       Total private:2/          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|$389.65 |$399.80 |$399.80 |      2.6
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 253.84 | 254.49 | 253.36 |      -.2
                                 |        |        |        |
       Goods-producing:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 527.26 | 534.70 | 533.48 |      1.2
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 343.49 | 340.36 | 338.07 |     -1.6
                                 |        |        |        |
       Mining:                   |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 670.56 | 706.02 | 705.97 |      5.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 436.85 | 449.41 | 447.38 |      2.4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Construction:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 565.40 | 574.93 | 570.02 |       .8
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 368.34 | 365.96 | 361.23 |     -1.9
                                 |        |        |        |
       Manufacturing:            |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 510.83 | 517.47 | 515.82 |      1.0
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 332.79 | 329.39 | 326.88 |     -1.8
                                 |        |        |        |
       Service-producing:        |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 351.22 | 362.88 | 364.33 |      3.7
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 228.81 | 230.99 | 230.88 |       .9
                                 |        |        |        |
       Transportation and public |        |        |        |
            utilities:           |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 549.75 | 568.15 | 566.97 |      3.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 358.14 | 361.65 | 359.30 |       .3
                                 |        |        |        |
       Wholesale trade:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 465.50 | 478.80 | 480.44 |      3.2
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 303.26 | 304.77 | 304.46 |       .4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Retail trade:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 215.93 | 222.16 | 225.15 |      4.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 140.67 | 141.41 | 142.68 |      1.4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Finance, insurance,       |        |        |        |
            and real estate:     |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 433.46 | 454.10 | 455.53 |      5.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 282.38 | 289.05 | 288.68 |      2.2
                                 |        |        |        |
       Services:                 |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 365.79 | 378.03 | 378.03 |      3.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 238.30 | 240.63 | 239.56 |       .5
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
 
        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:        |               |               |               |
      Mar.     |     $11.34    |      $7.39    |    $392.36    |    $255.61
      Apr.     |      11.40    |       7.40    |     394.44    |     256.13
      May      |      11.37    |       7.36    |     388.85    |     251.85
      June     |      11.43    |       7.39    |     393.19    |     254.16
      July     |      11.50    |       7.43    |     397.90    |     257.21
      Aug.     |      11.48    |       7.41    |     394.91    |     254.78
      Sept.    |      11.54    |       7.44    |     398.13    |     256.53
      Oct.     |      11.59    |       7.44    |     401.01    |     257.55
      Nov.     |      11.58    |       7.43    |     398.35    |     255.68
      Dec.     |      11.61    |       7.44    |     398.22    |     255.11
  1996:        |               |               |               |
      Jan.     |      11.65    |       7.43    |     393.77    |     251.13
      Feb.p    |      11.65    |       7.42    |     403.09    |     256.58
      Mar.p    |      11.68    |       7.40    |     402.96    |     255.36
  _____________|_______________|_______________|_______________|_______________
 
   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.