April 20, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Productivity in manufacturing industries, 2005

Labor productivity—defined as output per hour—rose in 2005 in 88 percent of the detailed manufacturing industries studied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Proportion of manufacturing industries with increases in labor productivity, output, and hours of labor, 2004-05
[Chart data—TXT]

Output (the production of manufactured goods) rose in 83 percent of the industries, while hours fell in 65 percent of the industries.

The share of industries with productivity increases over a longer period was even greater. From 1987 to 2005, labor productivity increased in all but one manufacturing industry. Output rose in 80 percent of the industries, while hours fell in 80 percent.

This information is from the BLS Productivity and Costs Program. Additional information is available from "Productivity and Costs by Industry: Manufacturing, 2005," (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 07-0561.