WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Consumer prices rose modestly in March amid signs that a spike in gasoline costs was ebbing, but inflation still outpaced workers’ earnings, the Labor Department said Friday.

Consumer prices increased 0.3 percent last month, the department said. Gasoline prices rose 1.7 percent, a slowing from February when costs at the pump rose more than three times as quickly.

Still, workers’ earnings fell 0.4 percent in March after adjusting for the increase in prices.

Other data showed that consumer sentiment slipped in April as higher gasoline prices hit household budgets.

“The underlying problem of inflation outstripping wage gains remains. That is the danger for the economy in the long run,” said Joseph Trevisani, a market strategist at Worldwide Markets in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.