August 29, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Productivity growth in wholesale trade, retail trade, and food services and drinking places, 2006

Labor productivity—defined as output per hour—increased in wholesale trade, retail trade, and food services and drinking places in 2006.

[Chart data—TXT]

In wholesale trade, output per hour grew 4.3 percent, as output increased 6.6 percent and hours advanced 2.2 percent. The largest increases in productivity—13.0 percent and 11.8 percent—occurred in motor vehicles and parts wholesalers, and farm product raw materials wholesalers, respectively.

In retail trade, output per hour increased 4.9 percent as output grew 4.1 percent while hours declined 0.8 percent. Specialty food stores and electronic shopping and mail-order houses had the largest productivity increases—20.0 percent and 18.2 percent, respectively.

In food services and drinking places, output per hour rose 2.4 percent as output grew 4.9 percent and hours, 2.4 percent, respectively. The largest increase in productivity, 3.2 percent, occurred in limited-service eating places.

These data come from the BLS Productivity and Costs program. Productivity data are subject to revision. To learn more, see "Productivity and Costs by Industry: Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, And Food Services And Drinking Places, 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 07-1321.