By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Compensation earned by U.S. workers rose 0.3% in November, another signal that labor markets are slowly improving, the Commerce Department estimated Wednesday. The increase in wages and salaries was the best since April, and helped to push up total personal incomes by 0.4% in November, the biggest gain since May and in line with expectations of economists. After inflation, after-tax disposable incomes rose 0.2% for the third straight month. Inflation-adjusted real spending increased 0.2% in November after a 0.4% gain in October. The personal savings rate was steady at 4.7%.
