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 96-97
Media contact:               606-5902
 
                                          WIRE EMBARGO UNTIL
                                          10:00 A.M. (EST) FRIDAY,
                                          MARCH 15, 1996
 
 
 
                     REAL EARNINGS IN FEBRUARY 1996
 
    Real average weekly earnings rose 2.1 percent from January to
February after seasonal adjustment, according to preliminary data
released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department
of Labor.  This rise stemmed from a 2.4 percent increase in average weekly
hours, which was largely a rebound from January's weather-related decline.
The average weekly hours increase was partially offset by a decrease
of 0.1 percent in average hourly earnings and a 0.2 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 February 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 decrease in
average weekly hours.  After adjustment for a 2.6 percent gain in the
CPI-W over the same period, real average weekly earnings fell by 0.1
percent.  Before adjustment for seasonal change and deflation by the
CPI-W, average weekly earnings were $398.63 in February 1996, compared
with $388.51 a year earlier.
 
 
                   _____________________________
 
 
     Real Earnings for March 1996 is scheduled to be released on Friday,
April 12, 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:        |            |            |            |            |
        Feb.     |     0.3    |    -0.6    |    -0.3    |     0.2    |    -0.5
        Mar.     |      .2    |      .0    |      .2    |      .3    |     -.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.p    |      .4    |    -1.7    |    -1.3    |      .4    |    -1.8
        Feb.p    |     -.1    |     2.4    |     2.3    |      .2    |     2.1
                 |________________________________________________________________
                 |
                 |            Percent change from same month a year ago
                 |________________________________________________________________
                 |            |            |            |            |
    1995:        |            |            |            |            |
        Feb.     |     2.7    |     0.6    |     3.3    |     3.0    |     0.3
        Mar.     |     2.9    |     -.3    |     2.6    |     3.0    |     -.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.p    |     3.3    |    -2.9    |      .3    |     2.6    |    -2.4
        Feb.p    |     2.9    |     -.3    |     2.6    |     2.6    |     -.1
    _____________|____________|____________|____________|____________|____________
 
     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
                                 |   Feb. |   Jan. |   Feb. |    change
                                 |   1995 |   1996p|   1996p|  Feb. 1995 -
                                 |        |        |        |  Feb. 1996
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
                                 |        |        |        |
       Total private:2/          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| $11.36 | $11.73 | $11.69 |      2.9
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.42 |   7.49 |   7.44 |       .3
                                 |        |        |        |
       Goods-producing:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.82 |  13.27 |  13.20 |      3.0
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.38 |   8.47 |   8.40 |       .2
                                 |        |        |        |
       Mining:                   |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  15.26 |  15.66 |  15.67 |      2.7
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.97 |  10.00 |   9.97 |       .0
                                 |        |        |        |
       Construction:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  14.82 |  15.28 |  15.20 |      2.6
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.69 |   9.76 |   9.68 |      -.1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Manufacturing:            |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.24 |  12.66 |  12.58 |      2.8
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.00 |   8.08 |   8.01 |       .1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Service-producing:        |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  10.86 |  11.22 |  11.19 |      3.0
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.10 |   7.16 |   7.12 |       .3
                                 |        |        |        |
       Transportation and public |        |        |        |
            utilities:           |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  14.04 |  14.47 |  14.44 |      2.8
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.18 |   9.24 |   9.19 |       .1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Wholesale trade:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.28 |  12.61 |  12.56 |      2.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.03 |   8.05 |   7.99 |      -.5
                                 |        |        |        |
       Retail trade:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|   7.63 |   7.91 |   7.83 |      2.6
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   4.99 |   5.05 |   4.98 |      -.2
                                 |        |        |        |
       Finance, insurance,       |        |        |        |
            and real estate:     |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.19 |  12.63 |  12.70 |      4.2
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.97 |   8.07 |   8.08 |      1.4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Services:                 |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  11.38 |  11.76 |  11.74 |      3.2
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.44 |   7.51 |   7.47 |       .4
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
 
       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
                                 |   Feb. |   Jan. |   Feb. |    change
                                 |   1995 |   1996p|   1996p|  Feb. 1995 -
                                 |        |        |        |  Feb. 1996
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
                                 |        |        |        |
       Total private:2/          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|$388.51 |$391.78 |$398.63 |      2.6
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 253.93 | 250.18 | 253.74 |      -.1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Goods-producing:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 521.77 | 517.53 | 533.28 |      2.2
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 341.03 | 330.48 | 339.45 |      -.5
                                 |        |        |        |
       Mining:                   |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 677.54 | 682.78 | 706.72 |      4.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 442.84 | 436.00 | 449.85 |      1.6
                                 |        |        |        |
       Construction:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 546.86 | 547.02 | 563.92 |      3.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 357.42 | 349.31 | 358.96 |       .4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Manufacturing:            |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 510.41 | 503.87 | 518.30 |      1.5
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 333.60 | 321.76 | 329.92 |     -1.1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Service-producing:        |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 351.86 | 357.92 | 363.68 |      3.4
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 229.97 | 228.56 | 231.50 |       .7
                                 |        |        |        |
       Transportation and public |        |        |        |
            utilities:           |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 551.77 | 555.65 | 568.94 |      3.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 360.63 | 354.82 | 362.15 |       .4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Wholesale trade:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 467.87 | 475.40 | 478.54 |      2.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 305.80 | 303.58 | 304.61 |      -.4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Retail trade:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 214.40 | 217.53 | 222.37 |      3.7
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 140.13 | 138.91 | 141.55 |      1.0
                                 |        |        |        |
       Finance, insurance,       |        |        |        |
            and real estate:     |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 435.18 | 448.37 | 454.66 |      4.5
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 284.43 | 286.32 | 289.41 |      1.8
                                 |        |        |        |
       Services:                 |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 367.57 | 373.97 | 378.03 |      2.8
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 240.24 | 238.81 | 240.63 |       .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/ 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:        |               |               |               |
      Feb.     |     $11.32    |      $7.40    |    $391.67    |    $255.99
      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.p    |      11.66    |       7.44    |     392.94    |     250.60
      Feb.p    |      11.65    |       7.42    |     401.93    |     255.84
  _____________|_______________|_______________|_______________|_______________
 
   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.