WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell issued the following press release:
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new data showing American wages are not keeping up with inflation. Average hourly earnings growth for workers was 3.5% over June of last year, falling short of annual inflation, which is approximately 4%.
The new BLS data also showed nonfarm payroll employment holding relatively steady between May and June 2026, and that the unemployment rate ticked down slightly -- from 4.3% to 4.2%.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement:
"Today's employment data doe...