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 96-186
Media contact:               606-5902
 
                                        WIRE EMBARGO UNTIL
                                        10:00 AM (EDT) TUESDAY,
                                        MAY 14, 1996
 
 
 
 
                    REAL EARNINGS IN APRIL 1996
 
   Real average weekly earnings fell 0.4 percent from March
to April after seasonal adjustment, according to preliminary data
released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor.  This drop stemmed from a 0.4 percent increase
in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical
Workers (CPI-W).  Average weekly earnings were about unchanged in
April as a 0.6 percent rise in average hourly earnings was offset by
a decrease of 0.6 percent in average weekly hours.
 
   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 2.8 percent between April of 1995 and
1996 as a result of a 3.1 percent increase in average hourly earnings
which was partially offset by a 0.3 percent decline in average weekly
hours.  After adjustment for a 2.9 percent gain in the CPI-W over the
same period, real average weekly earnings declined by 0.1 percent.
Before adjustment for seasonal change and deflation by the CPI-W,
average weekly earnings were $402.19 in April 1996, compared with
$391.36 a year earlier.
 
 
 
                   _____________________________
 
 
   Real Earnings for May 1996 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday,
June 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:        |            |            |            |            |
        Apr.     |     0.5    |     0.0    |     0.5    |     0.3    |     0.2
        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.     |      .1    |     2.1    |     2.2    |      .2    |     2.0
        Mar.p    |      .2    |      .0    |      .2    |      .5    |     -.3
        Apr.p    |      .6    |     -.6    |     (2)    |      .4    |     -.4
                 |________________________________________________________________
                 |
                 |            Percent change from same month a year ago
                 |________________________________________________________________
                 |            |            |            |            |
    1995:        |            |            |            |            |
        Apr.     |     3.1    |    -0.6    |     2.5    |     3.2    |    -0.7
        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.     |     3.0    |      .0    |     3.0    |     2.6    |      .3
        Mar.p    |     3.0    |     -.3    |     2.7    |     2.8    |     -.1
        Apr.p    |     3.1    |     -.3    |     2.8    |     2.9    |     -.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
                                 |   Apr. |   Mar. |   Apr. |    change
                                 |   1995 |   1996p|   1996p|  Apr. 1995 -
                                 |        |        |        |  Apr. 1996
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
                                 |        |        |        |
       Total private:2/          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| $11.41 | $11.70 | $11.76 |      3.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.40 |   7.41 |   7.42 |       .3
                                 |        |        |        |
       Goods-producing:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.93 |  13.15 |  13.33 |      3.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.39 |   8.33 |   8.41 |       .2
                                 |        |        |        |
       Mining:                   |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  15.31 |  15.59 |  15.63 |      2.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.94 |   9.88 |   9.86 |      -.8
                                 |        |        |        |
       Construction:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  14.88 |  15.08 |  15.13 |      1.7
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.66 |   9.56 |   9.55 |     -1.1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Manufacturing:            |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.29 |  12.52 |  12.70 |      3.3
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.98 |   7.93 |   8.01 |       .4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Service-producing:        |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  10.90 |  11.21 |  11.23 |      3.0
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.07 |   7.10 |   7.09 |       .3
                                 |        |        |        |
       Transportation and public |        |        |        |
            utilities:           |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  14.14 |  14.38 |  14.49 |      2.5
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   9.18 |   9.11 |   9.14 |      -.4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Wholesale trade:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.45 |  12.63 |  12.72 |      2.2
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   8.08 |   8.00 |   8.03 |      -.6
                                 |        |        |        |
       Retail trade:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|   7.65 |   7.91 |   7.93 |      3.7
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   4.96 |   5.01 |   5.00 |       .8
                                 |        |        |        |
       Finance, insurance,       |        |        |        |
            and real estate:     |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  12.32 |  12.75 |  12.79 |      3.8
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.99 |   8.08 |   8.07 |      1.0
                                 |        |        |        |
       Services:                 |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|  11.40 |  11.74 |  11.73 |      2.9
        Constant (1982) dollars..|   7.40 |   7.44 |   7.40 |       .0
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
 
       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
                                 |   Apr. |   Mar. |   Apr. |    change
                                 |   1995 |   1996p|   1996p|  Apr. 1995 -
                                 |        |        |        |  Apr. 1996
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
                                 |        |        |        |
       Total private:2/          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........|$391.36 |$400.14 |$402.19 |      2.8
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 253.96 | 253.57 | 253.75 |      -.1
                                 |        |        |        |
       Goods-producing:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 515.91 | 533.89 | 541.20 |      4.9
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 334.79 | 338.33 | 341.45 |      2.0
                                 |        |        |        |
       Mining:                   |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 678.23 | 704.67 | 704.91 |      3.9
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 440.12 | 446.56 | 444.74 |      1.0
                                 |        |        |        |
       Construction:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 559.49 | 573.04 | 584.02 |      4.4
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 363.07 | 363.14 | 368.47 |      1.5
                                 |        |        |        |
       Manufacturing:            |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 496.52 | 515.82 | 521.97 |      5.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 322.21 | 326.88 | 329.32 |      2.2
                                 |        |        |        |
       Service-producing:        |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 357.52 | 364.33 | 364.98 |      2.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 232.01 | 230.88 | 230.27 |      -.7
                                 |        |        |        |
       Transportation and public |        |        |        |
            utilities:           |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 559.94 | 566.57 | 568.01 |      1.4
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 363.36 | 359.04 | 358.37 |     -1.4
                                 |        |        |        |
       Wholesale trade:          |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 476.84 | 481.20 | 484.63 |      1.6
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 309.44 | 304.94 | 305.76 |     -1.2
                                 |        |        |        |
       Retail trade:             |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 221.09 | 225.44 | 225.21 |      1.9
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 143.47 | 142.86 | 142.09 |     -1.0
                                 |        |        |        |
       Finance, insurance,       |        |        |        |
            and real estate:     |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 447.22 | 455.18 | 456.60 |      2.1
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 290.21 | 288.45 | 288.08 |      -.7
                                 |        |        |        |
       Services:                 |        |        |        |
        Current dollars..........| 370.50 | 378.03 | 377.71 |      1.9
        Constant (1982) dollars..| 240.43 | 239.56 | 238.30 |      -.9
       __________________________|________|________|________|______________
 
        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:        |               |               |               |
      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.     |      11.66    |       7.42    |     402.27    |     256.06
      Mar.p    |      11.68    |       7.40    |     402.96    |     255.36
      Apr.p    |      11.75    |       7.42    |     403.03    |     254.44
  _____________|_______________|_______________|_______________|_______________
 
   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.