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United States Department of Labor
Real weekly earnings up 3.7 percent for year ended December 2020
January 19, 2021
Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 3.7 percent from December 2019 to December 2020. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with an increase of 1.2 percent in the average workweek resulted in a 4.9-percent increase in real average weekly earnings over this period. The increases in real average hourly and weekly earnings largely reflect the substantial job loss over the year among lower-paid workers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain it.
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View All »January 15, 2021
Consumer Price Index: 2020 in review
From 2019 to 2020, consumer prices for all items rose 1.4 percent. Over that period, food prices increased 3.9 percent, a larger percentage increase than the 12-month increase of 1.8 percent in 2019. Food at home prices increased 3.9 percent in 2020, the largest over-the-year increase since 2011.
January 14, 2021
Hires up in professional and business services over the year, November 2020
Overall, the number of hires in November 2020 was little changed from a year earlier. There were a total of 5,439,000 hires in November 2019, compared with 5,590,000 in November 2020. Hires increased in professional and business services; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; and nondurable goods manufacturing. Hires decreased in accommodation and food services.
January 13, 2021
28.4 percent of unemployed were on temporary layoff in December 2020
In December 2020, 28.4 percent of the unemployed were job losers on temporary layoff. These are people who lost their jobs and were given a date to return to work or who expect to return to work within 6 months. This compared with 77.9 percent in April 2020. In December 2020, the largest share of the unemployed, at 38.9 percent, were job losers not on temporary layoff. These are people who permanently lost their jobs or completed temporary jobs.
January 12, 2021
Payroll employment down 140,000 in December 2020
Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 140,000 in December 2020, following seven consecutive months of increases. In December, nonfarm employment was below its February level by 9.8 million, or 6.5 percent.
