[PEN-L:3773] FW: BLS Daily Report

[Richardson_D <RichardD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

BLS DAILY REPORT, FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1996

RELEASED TODAY
     CONSUMER PRICE INDEX -- On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose
0.4 percent in March, following increases of 0.4 and 0.2 percent in the
first two months of 1996.  Each of the three groups -- food, energy, and all

items less food and energy -- contributed to the larger advance in March
....
     REAL EARNINGS -- Real average weekly earnings fell 0.5 percent from
February to March after seasonal adjustment.  Average weekly earnings were
about unchanged as an increase of 0.3 percent in average hourly earnings was

offset by a decrease of 0.3 percent in average weekly hours, which was
primarily a result of a strike in the auto manufacturing industry and
subsequent plant shutdowns.  The decline stemmed from a 0.5 percent rise in
the CPI-W ....Real average weekly earnings fell by 0.2 percent between March

of 1995 and 1996 ....

_____Analysts remain unconcerned about inflation, although data show a surge

in energy prices pushed the cost of finished wholesale goods up a seasonally

adjusted 0.5 percent in March (Daily Labor Report, page D-1).  Economists
pointed to the core rate which inched up just 0.1 percent ....Bill Thomas,
BLS economist, said that finished energy prices ... shot up 2.4 percent in
March, largely driven by a 7.1 percent surge in gasoline costs.  Thomas said

the demand for gasoline has risen recently ....He added that food prices
have been highly volatile.  In large measure, "weather-induced short-term
supply glitches, particularly in lettuce and tomatoes" caused the March
increase in food costs ....

_____Initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ended April 6 drop
to 347,000, a decrease of 59,000 from the previous week's revised figure of
406,000.  ETA's four-week moving average of initial claims -- which analysts

watch more closely because it irons out weekly fluctuations -- dropped to
393,000, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average of
394,250.  For the week ended  March 30, Michigan saw a drop of more than
30,000 in unemployment insurance claims filed.  Officials said the decline
was due to the drop in automobile-related layoffs following the GM strike
settlement ....(Daily Labor Report, page D-10; Washington Post, page F3).
_____The Wall Street Journal (page A6) reports that the fall of 59,000
workers reflects the return of workers following the GM strike and the Good
Friday holiday.  Because of seasonal adjustment problems, April jobless
claims figures are often the lowest of the year ....

The number of full-time workers using illegal drugs has dropped more than 50

percent since 1985, a federal survey finds (USA Today, page 1D).  But a
first-ever breakdown by job category finds alcohol and/or drug use problems
among construction workers, auto mechanics, and food and restaurant workers.

 This  Health and Human Services Department report  also says illicit drug
use is lowest among police, teachers, and clerical workers.  Alcohol use is
lowest among clerical workers and bank tellers.  The conclusions are based
on the 199l-93 Household Survey on Drug Abuse, which includes responses from

33,505 adults ....Current drug use declined from 17 percent in 1985 to 7
percent in 1992 ....

USA Today's page 1B graph ("USA Snapshots") says that more work is being
done at home today, based on figures from IDC/Link.  In 39 million U.S.
households, at least one person has a home office in 1995 -- up from 36
million in 1994.  Home office owners, by type, include 11.0 million
primarily self-employed in l995, 6.0 million who telecommunicate to the job
from home, 12 million partly self-employed or moonlighting people worked,
and 10.0 million who bring work from job to home ....

Elder care referral services, financial and retirement planning programs,
and health-screening programs are among the "nonstandard" benefits that
employers expect to add to their benefit packages in 1997 as a way of
recruiting and retaining qualified employees, according to a survey of
members by the Society for Human Resource Management.  Dependent-care
flexible spending accounts and flex-time are the two most common
"family-friendly" benefits that employers currently offer ....(Daily Labor
Report, page A-15).