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October 1995, Vol. 118, No.
10
Ziaul Z. Ahmed and Patricia S. Wilder
P roductivity growth in the miscellaneous shopping goods stores industry is moderate, compared with other retail industries, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among 22 retail industries, 15 had higher productivity rates and 7 had lower rates between 1977 and 1992. As measured by output per hour of all workers, productivity rose at an average annual rate of 1.7 percent between 1977 and 1992. Output grew at 4.5 percent annually and hours of all persons rose by 2.8 percent1 (See table 1).
The industry recorded its largest productivity gain of 8.4 percent in 1978. Output grew 15.3 percent and hours of all persons rose 6.3 percent that year. The sharpest decline in productivity-2.0 percent-occurred in 1979; output and hours grew 0.9 and 2.9 percent. Output rose 7.0 percent in 1992 as productivity rose 5.5 percent and hours of all persons rose 1.4 percent. Also in 1992, output and productivity attained their peak levels, while hours reached a high for the period in 1989. (See table 2.)
The miscellaneous shipping goods stores industry comprises a variety of retail stores.2 (See table 3.) Nine sub-industries include stores that sell sporting goods; books; stationary; jewelry; hobby supplies; toys, and games; camera and photographic supplies; gifts, novelties and souvenirs; luggage and leather goods; and sewing equipment, needlework supplies, and piece goods. In 1992, 56 percent of the industry's retail sales and employment were accounted for in sporting goods stores and bicycle shops, book stores, and jewelry stores.
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Footnotes
1 All average annual rates of change pertaining to the
industry and mentioned in the text or in tables are based on the
compound interest method of computation. The indexes for
productivity and related variables are updated and published
annually in the BLS publication, Productivity Measures for
Selected Industries and Government Services.
2 The retail miscellaneous shopping goods stores industry is designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget as SIC 594 in the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification Manual. The industry consists of the following four-digit industries (because the industries are descriptive, the SIC definitions are given for each of the industries):
5941 - sporting goods stores and bicycle shops
5942 - book stores
5943 - stationary stores
5944 - jewelry stores
5945 - hobby, toy, and game shops
5946 - camera and photographic supply stores
5847 - gift, novelty, and souvenir shops
5948 - luggage and leather goods stores
5949 - sewing, needlework, and piece goods stores
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