July 14, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Sharp drop in mining productivity

Output per hour in the mining sector fell 7.7 percent between 2003 and 2004.

[Chart data—TXT]

Only one of four detailed mining industries registered productivity growth. Productivity rose 4.1 percent in nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying. 

In the oil and gas extraction industry, productivity declined 13.7 percent.

Unit labor costs, which reflect the total labor costs required to produce a unit of output, increased 12.4 percent in 2004 in the mining sector as a whole. Growth in unit labor costs was especially strong in the oil and gas extraction industry, rising 16.4 percent.

This information is from the BLS Productivity and Costs Program. Additional information is available from "Productivity and Costs by Industry: Selected Service-Providing and Mining Industries, 2004" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-1201.