Average hourly earnings for all employees on US private nonfarm payrolls rose by 12 cents, or 0.3%, over a month to $37.53 in May 2026, following a 0.2% increase in April, matching market forecasts. In May, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 8 cents, or 0.2%, to $32.31. Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.4% in May, down from a 3.6% advance in the prior month, also in line with analysts' estimates.