November 24, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Declines in labor costs among manufacturing industries
Between 1997 and 1998, unit labor costs
declined in 65 of 119 manufacturing industries measured by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
![Percent changes in unit labor costs, selected manufacturing industries, 1997-98](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120925014405im_/http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/images/2000/Nov/wk3/art04.gif) [Chart data—TXT]
The computer and office equipment industry experienced the largest drop
in unit labor costs in 1998 (-29.2 percent). Other manufacturing
industries with double-digit drops in labor costs were electronic
components and accessories (-18.5 percent), aircraft and parts (-17.5
percent), and industrial inorganic chemicals (-14.7 percent).
Unit labor costs—the cost of the labor input required to produce one
unit of output—are computed by dividing total compensation by real
output.
This information is from the Industry
Productivity Program. Additional
information is available from "Productivity
and Costs: Manufacturing Industries, 1990-98"
news release USDL 00-335.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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