March 04, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Factory productivity growth in 2004

Productivity, as measured by output per hour, increased 5.2 percent in the manufacturing sector in 2004, the same as in 2003.

[Chart data—TXT]

The 5.2-percent growth in productivity in 2004 resulted from an increase in output of 4.8 percent and a decline in hours of 0.4 percent.

In contrast, the gain in manufacturing productivity in 2003 was the result of unchanged output and a 4.9-percent decline in hours.

These data are a product of the BLS Productivity and Costs program. Data are subject to revision. Additional information is available in "Productivity and Costs, Fourth Quarter and Annual Averages for 2004, Revised" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-344.