February 9, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Productivity increase in 1999
Productivity increased 2.9 percent in the
nonfarm business sector during 1999, about the same as the 2.8 percent
rise in 1998.
[Chart data—TXT]
During 1999, output in nonfarm businesses rose 4.7 percent, and hours
of all persons increased 1.7 percent. The increase in labor productivity
in 1998 resulted from faster growth in both output and hours, 5.2 and 2.4
percent, respectively.
Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector grew 1.8 percent in
1999, slightly less than their 2.4-percent increase in 1998. This
reflected, in part, an hourly compensation rise of 4.8 percent in 1999,
compared with a 5.2 percent increase in 1998.
These data are a product of the BLS Quarterly
Labor Productivityprogram. Data are subject to revision. Additional
information is available in "Productivity
and Costs, Fourth Quarter Measures, 1999," news release USDL
00-37.
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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