September 30, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

U.S. factory productivity gain in 2001 was fourth highest

United States manufacturing output per hour increased by 1.9 percent in 2001, the fourth largest increase among the 12 countries for which comparable data are available—the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and seven European countries.

Percent change in manufacturing output per hour, by country, 2001
[Chart data—TXT]

While manufacturing labor productivity continued to grow in 10 of the 12 countries, Canada and Japan experienced their first declines in output per hour since 1998 and 1986, respectively. The U.S. productivity measure posted its lowest annual growth rate since 1991.

These data are a product of the BLS Foreign Labor Statistics program. Labor productivity is measured here as output per hour. Data are subject to revision. Additional information is available in "International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends, 2001," news release USDL 02-543.