March 31, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Productivity in the engineering services industry

From 1987-2003, labor productivity (as measured by output per hour) increased at an average annual rate of 0.6 percent in the engineering services industry.

Average annual percent change in output per hour, output, and hours in the engineering services industry, selected periods, 1987-2003
[Chart data—TXT]

Productivity in engineering services grew most rapidly at the end of the 1980s and during the second half of the 1990s. From 1995 to 2000, output per hour grew 1.8 percent per year as output rose 6.2 percent per year and hours increased 4.3 percent.

Productivity declined during the first half of the 1990s, with output falling an average 0.6 percent per year and hours rising 0.4 percent per year.

Productivity also declined from 2000 to 2003, as output fell an average 2.5 percent per year and hours declined 1.1 percent per year.

These data are from the BLS Productivity and Costs program. Additional information is available in "New Service Industry Productivity Measures," (PDF) Report 993.

 

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