Simon Says: Earnings take a hit!
I have already reported the decline in employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area of just 200 jobs in February. Other labor market economic data is now available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate remained unchanged in February at 3.7%, while there was a small increase in the labor force of 277 people. The average weekly earnings declined to $932.59, the lowest since June last year. This represents a decrease of 3.5 percent over the last year at a time when inflation is still running at 3.2%.