May 02, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Productivity by industry between 1990 and 2000

During the 1990-2000 period, labor productivity—as measured by output per hour—increased in 92 percent of the 170 industries studied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Proportion of measured industries with increases in labor productivity, output, and hours of labor, 1990-2000
[Chart data—TXT]

Output rose in 85 percent of the industries, while hours of labor increased in only 46 percent of the industries.

Comparing the 1995-2000 period with the 1990-95 period, productivity growth rates increased in 97 of the 170 published industries. In 19 industries, annual output per hour grew at least 5.0 percentage points faster in 1995-2000 than in 1990-95. Another 33 industries posted annual productivity growth rates 2.0-4.9 percentage points above their 1990-95 rates.

This information is from the BLS Productivity and Costs Program. Data are subject to revision. Learn more in "Productivity and Costs by Industry, 2000" news release USDL 02-237.