Labor productivity is a measure of economic performance that compares the amount of goods and services produced (output) with the number of hours worked to produce those goods and services. The BLS also publishes measures of multifactor productivity.

 

Next Releases:

  • Productivity and Costs: Fourth Quarter and Annual Averages 2016, Preliminary is scheduled to be released on February 2, 2017, at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time.

 

Video: What is Productivity?

Explore the meaning of productivity and learn how productivity growth can lead to improvements in our lives and the well-being of our nation.

LPC News Releases

Productivity rises 3.1% in 3rd quarter 2016 (annual rate); unit labor costs rise 0.7%

12/06/2016

Productivity increased 3.1 percent in the nonfarm business sector in the third quarter of 2016; unit labor costs increased 0.7 percent (seasonally adjusted annual rates). In manufacturing, productivity increased 0.4 percent and unit labor costs increased 3.3 percent.
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2015 productivity up in about 2/3 of wholesale & retail trade and food services industries

08/10/2016

Labor productivity rose in wholesale trade, retail trade, and food services and drinking places in 2015. Unit labor costs also rose in all three industry groups.
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Productivity rises in 15 of 28 selected service-providing industries in 2015

05/18/2016

Labor productivity rose in 15 of 28 service-providing industries in 2015. Output increased in fewer industries in 2015 than in 2014, while hours worked increased in more industries.
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Productivity rises in 49% of manufacturing and mining industries in 2015

04/07/2016

Labor productivity rose in 29 of 59 manufacturing industries and two of four mining industries in 2015. Output and hours worked increased in fewer industries in 2015 than in the previous year.
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Major Sector Productivity and Costs
Top Picks for Productivity and Costs Data Finder for Productivity and Costs One Screen Data Search for Productivity and Costs Multi Screen Data Search for Productivity and Costs Tables for Productivity and Costs Text Files for Productivity and Costs
Industry Productivity
  Top Picks for Industry Productivity Data Finder for Industry Productivity One Screen Data Search for Industry Productivity Multi Screen Data Search for Industry Productivity Tables for Industry Productivity Text Files for Industry Productivity

 

Download the complete Major Sector Productivity and Costs dataset

 

More Tools

LPC Tables and Charts

Major Sector Data

Industry Data

Interactive Tables
  • Labor Productivity and Costs by Industry Tables - September 20, 2016 (XLSX 37.2MB)
  • Hours and Employment by Industry Tables - May 18, 2016 (XLSX 14.5MB)
Interactive Chart Dashboards
  • Labor Productivity and Costs by Industry Chart Dashboard - September 20, 2016 (XLSX 39.4MB)
  • Hours and Employment by Industry Chart Dashboard - May 18, 2016 (XLSX 14.1MB)

 

LPC Technical Documentation

Major Sector Productivity Program

Industry Productivity Program

  • BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 11 Industry Productivity Measures (PDF)
  • Industry Hours and Employment. May 2014.
  • Construction of Average Weekly Hours for Supervisory and Nonproduction Wage and Salary Workers in Detailed Industries. August 2005. (PDF)

LPC Publications

Major Sector Productivity Program

Industry Productivity Program

Archive of Articles on Productivity and Technology »

LPC FAQs

LPC Special Notices

  • NEW Data for private community hospitals (Industry 622A) were updated for 2013 on September 20, 2016. These changes have been incorporated into the Labor Productivity and Costs by Industry Tables and the Labor Productivity and Costs by Industry Chart Dashboard. The private community hospitals data were originally added on October 16, 2015.
  • Labor productivity and costs data for the nonfinancial corporate sector were corrected December 17, 2012. For more information, see http://www.bls.gov/lpc/lpc_nonfinancial_corporate_correction.htm.

Contact LPC

Major Sector Productivity and Cost Data (Quarterly and Annual)

Major Sector Productivity Staff (202) 691-5606 Contact us
Contact a subject matter expert by phone
 

Industry Productivity and Cost Data (Annual)

Industry Productivity Studies Staff (202) 691-5618 Contact us
Contact a subject matter expert by phone

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