Transmission of material in this release is embargoed until USDL 20-0179
8:30 a.m. (EST) Thursday, February 6, 2020
Technical information: (202) 691-5606 • Productivity@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/lpc
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov
PRODUCTIVITY AND COSTS
Fourth Quarter and Annual Averages 2019, Preliminary
Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019, the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, as output increased 2.5 percent and hours worked
increased 1.1 percent. (All quarterly percent changes in this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates.)
From the fourth quarter of 2018 to the fourth quarter of 2019, productivity increased 1.8 percent,
reflecting a 2.7-percent increase in output and a 0.9-percent increase in hours worked. (See table A1.)
Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of
hours worked by all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers.
Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 as
hourly compensation grew at a faster rate (2.8 percent) than productivity (1.4 percent). Unit labor costs
increased 2.4 percent over the last four quarters. (See table 2.)
BLS calculates unit labor costs as the ratio of hourly compensation to labor productivity. Increases in
hourly compensation tend to increase unit labor costs, and increases in output per hour tend to reduce
them.
Manufacturing sector labor productivity decreased 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019, as output
decreased 1.0 percent and hours worked increased 0.2 percent. Total manufacturing sector productivity
declined 0.7 percent over the last four quarters, as output decreased 1.2 percent and hours worked
decreased 0.5 percent. (See tables A1 and 3.) Productivity decreased 0.8 percent in the durable
manufacturing sector in the fourth quarter of 2019, reflecting a 1.6-percent decrease in output and a
0.8-percent decrease in hours worked. Productivity decreased 2.2 percent in the nondurable manufacturing
sector, as output decreased 0.4 percent and hours worked increased 1.9 percent. (See tables A1, 4, and
5.) Unit labor costs in the total manufacturing sector increased 5.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019,
and increased 5.3 percent from the same quarter a year ago. (See table A1.)
The concepts, sources, and methods used for the manufacturing output series differ from those used in
the business and nonfarm business output series; these output measures are not directly comparable. See
the Technical Notes for a more detailed explanation.
Revised measures
Revised and previously published measures for the third quarter of 2019 are shown in tables A2 and B1
and cover the following major sectors: nonfarm business, business, manufacturing, and nonfinancial
corporations.
Manufacturing output and all related measures--including labor productivity--were revised historically
to incorporate revised BLS annual measures of sectoral output from 1987 to 2017. Regular updates of
source data from the BLS, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System are reflected in data for the third and fourth quarters of 2019.
In the third quarter of 2019, nonfarm business productivity decreased 0.2 percent, the same rate as
previously reported. (See table B1.) Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 2.5 percent
in the third quarter, also the same rate as previously reported.
In the manufacturing sector, productivity was revised down 0.4 percentage point, to a decrease of 0.3
percent. Manufacturing unit labor costs increased 3.3 percent, a 0.3-percentage point upward revision
from the previous estimate.
In the nonfinancial corporate sector, productivity was revised down 0.6 percentage point in the third
quarter of 2019, to an increase of 2.4 percent. This downward revision to productivity is the result of
a 0.6-percentage point downward revision to output; hours worked increased 0.6 percent as previously
reported. (See table A2.)
Annual averages
Table C1 presents annual average changes for the most recent 5 years for the nonfarm business sector
and the total manufacturing sector. Nonfarm business sector productivity grew 1.7 percent in 2019, as
output increased 2.7 percent and hours worked increased 1.0 percent. The 1.7-percent increase in
nonfarm business labor productivity is the largest annual increase since 2010, when it increased 3.4
percent. The 1.0-percent increase in hours worked is the smallest increase in the annual series since 2010
(-0.1 percent). The average annual rate of nonfarm business sector productivity growth from 2007 to
2019--corresponding to the current business cycle--is 1.3 percent, which is below the long-term rate
from 1947 to 2019 of 2.1 percent.
Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 2.0 percent in 2019, reflecting increases of
3.8 percent in hourly compensation and 1.7 percent in productivity. Real hourly compensation, which takes
into account changes in consumer prices, increased 1.9 percent in 2019.
In the manufacturing sector, the annual average changes in labor productivity, output, and hours
worked were all 0.0 percent in 2019. The average annual rate of manufacturing productivity growth
from 2007 to 2019 is 0.4 percent, well below the long-term rate from 1987 to 2019 of 2.5 percent. Unit
labor costs increased 3.8 percent in 2019.
Quarterly and annual data, where available, for all sectors from 2017 to 2019 appear in tables 1-6. Full
historical measures can be found on the Productivity and Costs home page: www.bls.gov/lpc/#data.
______________
The revised Productivity and Costs news release for fourth-quarter 2019 is scheduled to be
released on Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. (EST).
=======================================================================================================
Upcoming Revisions
Data in this release do not reflect the annual benchmark revision of the BLS Current Employment
Statistics program data scheduled to be released February 7, 2020. This benchmark will be incorporated
in our next release on March 5, 2020.
=======================================================================================================
=========================================================================================================================
Table A1. Labor productivity growth and related measures - preliminary fourth-quarter 2019
(percent change from previous quarter at annual rate and from same quarter a year ago)
Labor Hours Hourly Real hourly Unit labor
Sector Percent change from: productivity Output worked compensation compensation costs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonfarm business Previous quarter 1.4 2.5 1.1 2.8 0.3 1.4
A year ago 1.8 2.7 0.9 4.2 2.1 2.4
Business Previous quarter 1.1 2.4 1.3 2.6 0.0 1.5
A year ago 1.8 2.7 0.9 4.3 2.2 2.4
Manufacturing Previous quarter -1.2 -1.0 0.2 4.6 2.0 5.9
A Year ago -0.7 -1.2 -0.5 4.6 2.5 5.3
Durable
manufacturing Previous quarter -0.8 -1.6 -0.8 6.6 3.9 7.5
A year ago -0.3 -1.2 -0.9 4.9 2.8 5.2
Nondurable
manufacturing Previous quarter -2.2 -0.4 1.9 1.1 -1.4 3.4
A year ago -1.3 -1.2 0.1 4.1 2.1 5.5
=========================================================================================================================
=========================================================================================================================
Table A2. Labor productivity growth and related measures - revised and previously published third-quarter 2019
(percent change from previous quarter at annual rate)
Labor Hours Hourly Real hourly Unit labor
Sector productivity Output worked compensation compensation costs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonfinancial Revised 2.4 3.0 0.6 2.4 0.6 0.0
corporate Previously published 3.0 3.6 0.6 2.4 0.6 -0.6
=========================================================================================================================
=========================================================================================================================
Table B1. Labor productivity growth and related measures - revised and previously published third-quarter 2019
(percent change from previous quarter at annual rate)
Labor Hours Hourly Real hourly Unit labor
Sector productivity Output worked compensation compensation costs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonfarm business Revised -0.2 2.3 2.5 2.3 0.5 2.5
Previously published -0.2 2.3 2.5 2.3 0.5 2.5
Business Revised -0.2 2.4 2.6 2.3 0.5 2.6
Previously published -0.2 2.4 2.6 2.3 0.5 2.5
Manufacturing Revised -0.3 1.0 1.3 3.1 1.2 3.3
Previously published 0.1 1.3 1.2 3.1 1.3 3.0
Durable Revised 0.6 1.7 1.1 2.5 0.7 1.9
manufacturing Previously published 0.7 1.8 1.0 2.6 0.8 1.8
Nondurable Revised -1.3 0.3 1.6 4.2 2.4 5.5
manufacturing Previously published -0.8 0.8 1.6 4.2 2.4 5.0
=========================================================================================================================
=========================================================================================================================
Table C1. Labor productivity growth and related measures - annual average changes: 2015-2019
Labor Hours Hourly Real hourly Unit labor
Sector Year productivity Output worked compensation compensation costs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonfarm business 2019 1.7 2.7 1.0 3.8 1.9 2.0
2018 1.3 3.5 2.1 3.1 0.7 1.8
2017 1.3 2.9 1.5 3.5 1.3 2.1
2016 0.3 1.7 1.4 1.1 -0.2 0.8
2015 1.3 3.5 2.1 3.1 2.9 1.7
Manufacturing 2019 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.8 1.9 3.8
2018 0.3 2.3 1.9 2.2 -0.3 1.8
2017 -0.5 0.6 1.0 3.5 1.3 4.0
2016 -0.2 -0.2 0.0 0.5 -0.7 0.7
2015 -1.8 -0.9 1.0 2.5 2.3 4.4
=========================================================================================================================
TECHNICAL NOTES
Labor Hours
Hours worked data for the labor productivity and cost measures include hours worked for all persons
working in the sector—wage and salary workers, the self-employed and unpaid family workers. The
primary source of hours and employment data is the BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES)
program, which provides monthly survey data on the number of jobs held by wage and salary workers in
nonfarm establishments, counting a person who is employed by two or more establishments at each
place of employment. The CES also provides average weekly paid hours of production and
nonsupervisory workers in these establishments. Weekly paid hours are adjusted to hours worked using
data from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) for 1996 forward and data from the BLS Hours at
Work survey, conducted for this purpose, prior to 1990. Between 1990 and 1995, weekly paid hours are
adjusted to hours at work using a combination of NCS and Hours at Work survey data. The Office of
Productivity and Technology estimates average weekly hours at work for nonproduction and supervisory
workers using information from the Current Population Survey (CPS), the CES, and the NCS.
Data from the CPS are used to estimate hours worked for farm labor, nonfarm proprietors, and nonfarm
unpaid family workers. Using CPS information on employment and hours worked at primary jobs and
all other jobs, separately, the BLS productivity measures assign all hours worked to the appropriate
industrial sector. Hours for government enterprises are derived from the CPS, the CES, and the National
Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the
Department of Commerce.
Detailed hours data are presented in the table “Hours Worked in Total U.S. Economy and Subsectors”
on the BLS website (https://www.bls.gov/lpc/special_requests/us_total_hrs_emp.xlsx).
Output
Business sector output is a chain-type, current-weighted index constructed after excluding from gross
domestic product (GDP) the following outputs: general government, nonprofit institutions, and private
households (including owner-occupied housing). Corresponding exclusions also are made in labor hours
worked. Business output accounted for about 77 percent of the value of GDP in 2018. Nonfarm
business, which excludes farming, accounted for about 76 percent of GDP in 2018.
Annual indexes for manufacturing and its durable and nondurable goods components are constructed by
deflating current-dollar industry value of production data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census with
deflators from the BLS. These deflators are based on data from the BLS Producer Price Index program
and other sources. The industry shipments are aggregated using annual weights, and intrasector
transactions are removed. Quarterly manufacturing output measures are based on the indexes of
industrial production prepared monthly by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,
adjusted to be consistent with annual indexes of manufacturing sector output prepared by BLS.
Nonfinancial corporate output is a chain-type, current-weighted index calculated on the basis of the
costs incurred and the incomes earned from production. The output measure excludes the following
outputs from GDP: general government; nonprofit institutions; private households; unincorporated
business; and those corporations classified as offices of bank holding companies, offices of other
holding companies, or offices in the finance and insurance sector. Nonfinancial corporations accounted
for about 55 percent of the value of GDP in 2018.
Labor Productivity
The measure describes the relationship between real output and the labor time involved in its production.
Measures of labor productivity growth show the changes from period to period in the amount of goods
and services produced per hour worked. They reflect the joint effects of many influences, including
changes in technology; capital investment; level of output; utilization of capacity, energy, and materials;
the organization of production; managerial skill; and the characteristics and effort of the work force.
Labor Compensation
The measure includes accrued wages and salaries, supplements, employer contributions to employee
benefit plans, and taxes. Estimates of labor compensation by major sector, required for measures of
hourly compensation and unit labor costs, are based primarily on employee compensation data from the
NIPA, prepared by the BEA. The compensation of employees in general government, nonprofit
institutions and private households are subtracted from compensation of employees in domestic
industries to derive employee compensation for the business sector. The labor compensation of
proprietors cannot be explicitly identified and must be estimated. This is done by assuming that
proprietors have the same hourly compensation as employees in the same sector. The quarterly labor
productivity and cost measures do not contain estimates of compensation for unpaid family workers.
Unit Labor Costs
These measures describe the relationship between compensation per hour and labor productivity, or real
output per hour, and can be used as an indicator of inflationary pressure on producers. Increases in
hourly compensation increase unit labor costs; labor productivity increases offset compensation
increases and lower unit labor costs.
Presentation of the data
The quarterly data in this release are presented in three ways: as percent changes from the previous
quarter presented at a compound annual rate, as percent changes from the corresponding quarter of the
previous year, and as index number series where 2012=100. Annual data are presented both as index
number series and percent changes from the previous year.
The index numbers and rates of change reported in the productivity and costs news release are rounded
to one decimal place. All percent changes in this release and on the BLS web site are calculated using
index numbers to three decimal places. A complete historical series of these index numbers are available
at the BLS web site, www.bls.gov/data/home.htm, or by contacting the BLS Division of Major Sector
Productivity (Telephone 202-691-5606 or email productivity@bls.gov).
For a more detailed explanation of methodology see "Technical Information About the Major Sector
Productivity and Costs Methods" at www.bls.gov/lpc/lpcmethods.pdf.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. Voice
phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service number: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Business sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and prices,
seasonally adjusted.
Real
Hourly hourly Unit Implicit
Year Labor compen- compen- Unit nonlabor price
and produc- Hours sation sation labor payments deflator
quarter tivity Output worked (1) (2) costs (3) (4)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2019 ANNUAL 1.7 2.7 1.0 3.8 1.9 2.0 0.5 1.4
2019 IV 1.1 2.4 1.3 2.6 0.0 1.5 0.5 1.1
III -0.2 2.4 2.6 2.3 0.5 2.6 r -0.4 r 1.2
II 2.8 2.0 -0.7 2.8 -0.1 0.1 7.0 3.0
I 3.6 3.9 0.3 9.5 8.5 5.7 -7.2 -0.1
2018 ANNUAL 1.3 3.4 2.0 3.2 0.8 1.9 2.8 2.3
2018 IV 0.0 1.2 1.3 0.5 -1.0 0.5 2.1 1.2
III 0.8 3.4 2.6 2.6 0.6 1.7 1.1 1.5
II 2.4 4.0 1.5 0.7 -1.4 -1.7 10.8 3.6
I 1.3 2.9 1.6 4.7 1.4 3.4 0.1 2.0
2017 ANNUAL 1.3 2.8 1.5 3.5 1.3 2.1 1.2 1.7
2017 IV 0.1 4.1 4.0 4.4 1.2 4.3 0.7 2.7
III 3.4 4.0 0.5 5.0 2.8 1.5 2.9 2.1
II 0.4 2.6 2.2 2.1 1.7 1.7 0.3 1.1
I 0.6 2.6 2.0 3.5 0.7 2.9 0.1 1.7
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2019 ANNUAL 1.7 2.7 1.0 3.8 1.9 2.0 0.5 1.4
2019 IV 1.8 2.7 0.9 4.3 2.2 2.4 -0.2 1.3
III 1.5 2.4 0.9 3.7 1.9 2.2 0.2 1.3
II 1.8 2.7 0.9 3.8 1.9 2.0 0.6 1.4
I 1.7 3.1 1.4 3.3 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5
2018 ANNUAL 1.3 3.4 2.0 3.2 0.8 1.9 2.8 2.3
2018 IV 1.1 2.9 1.7 2.1 -0.1 1.0 3.5 2.1
III 1.2 3.6 2.4 3.1 0.5 1.9 3.1 2.4
II 1.8 3.7 1.9 3.7 1.0 1.9 3.5 2.6
I 1.3 3.4 2.1 4.0 1.8 2.7 1.0 2.0
2017 ANNUAL 1.3 2.8 1.5 3.5 1.3 2.1 1.2 1.7
2017 IV 1.1 3.3 2.2 3.7 1.6 2.6 1.0 1.9
III 1.7 2.9 1.2 4.0 1.9 2.2 0.9 1.6
II 1.3 2.6 1.3 3.3 1.3 2.0 0.7 1.4
I 1.3 2.5 1.2 3.0 0.4 1.7 2.2 1.9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indexes 2012=100
2019 ANNUAL 107.8 121.6 112.8 120.1 107.6 111.4 108.7 110.2
2019 IV 108.2 122.6 113.4 121.2 107.7 112.1 109.2 110.8
III 107.9 r 121.9 r 113.0 r 120.4 r 107.7 r 111.7 r 109.0 r 110.5 r
II 107.9 121.2 112.3 119.7 107.6 110.9 109.2 110.2
I 107.2 120.6 112.5 118.9 107.6 110.9 107.3 109.4
2018 ANNUAL 106.0 118.3 111.7 115.7 105.6 109.2 108.1 108.7
2018 IV 106.3 119.4 112.4 116.2 105.4 109.4 109.4 109.4
III 106.3 119.0 112.0 116.1 105.7 109.3 108.8 109.1
II 106.0 118.0 111.3 115.4 105.5 108.8 108.5 108.7
I 105.4 116.9 110.9 115.1 105.9 109.2 105.7 107.7
2017 ANNUAL 104.6 114.4 109.4 112.1 104.8 107.2 105.2 106.3
2017 IV 105.1 116.1 110.5 113.8 105.5 108.3 105.7 107.2
III 105.0 114.9 109.4 112.6 105.2 107.2 105.5 106.5
II 104.2 113.8 109.2 111.2 104.5 106.8 104.8 105.9
I 104.0 113.1 108.7 110.7 104.0 106.4 104.7 105.6
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnotes following Table 6. February 6, 2020
r=revised Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Table 2. Nonfarm business sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and
prices, seasonally adjusted.
Real
Hourly hourly Unit Implicit
Year Labor compen- compen- Unit nonlabor price
and produc- Hours sation sation labor payments deflator
quarter tivity Output worked (1) (2) costs (3) (4)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2019 ANNUAL 1.7 2.7 1.0 3.8 1.9 2.0 0.6 1.4
2019 IV 1.4 2.5 1.1 2.8 0.3 1.4 0.5 1.0
III -0.2 2.3 2.5 2.3 0.5 2.5 -0.6 r 1.2 r
II 2.5 1.9 -0.5 2.5 -0.4 0.1 7.2 3.1
I 3.5 3.9 0.4 9.4 8.4 5.7 -7.1 0.0
2018 ANNUAL 1.3 3.5 2.1 3.1 0.7 1.8 3.0 2.3
2018 IV 0.1 1.2 1.1 0.7 -0.8 0.6 1.9 1.2
III 1.2 3.5 2.2 2.9 0.9 1.6 1.9 1.7
II 1.8 4.0 2.1 0.3 -1.9 -1.6 10.9 3.6
I 0.9 2.9 2.0 4.1 0.9 3.2 0.4 2.0
2017 ANNUAL 1.3 2.9 1.5 3.5 1.3 2.1 1.0 1.6
2017 IV 0.9 4.2 3.3 5.2 2.0 4.3 0.8 2.7
III 3.0 4.2 1.2 4.4 2.2 1.4 3.2 2.2
II 0.5 2.7 2.2 2.1 1.7 1.6 0.4 1.1
I 1.0 2.5 1.5 4.2 1.4 3.1 -1.4 1.2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2019 ANNUAL 1.7 2.7 1.0 3.8 1.9 2.0 0.6 1.4
2019 IV 1.8 2.7 0.9 4.2 2.1 2.4 -0.1 1.3
III 1.5 2.4 r 0.9 3.7 1.9 2.2 0.2 1.3
II 1.8 2.6 0.8 3.8 2.0 2.0 0.8 1.5
I 1.7 3.2 1.5 3.3 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.6
2018 ANNUAL 1.3 3.5 2.1 3.1 0.7 1.8 3.0 2.3
2018 IV 1.0 2.9 1.9 2.0 -0.2 1.0 3.7 2.1
III 1.2 3.6 2.4 3.1 0.5 1.9 3.4 2.5
II 1.6 3.8 2.1 3.5 0.8 1.8 3.7 2.6
I 1.3 3.5 2.2 3.9 1.7 2.6 1.2 2.0
2017 ANNUAL 1.3 2.9 1.5 3.5 1.3 2.1 1.0 1.6
2017 IV 1.3 3.4 2.0 4.0 1.8 2.6 0.7 1.8
III 1.6 3.0 1.5 3.8 1.7 2.2 0.7 1.5
II 1.2 2.6 1.4 3.2 1.2 2.0 0.6 1.4
I 1.2 2.4 1.2 2.9 0.4 1.7 2.1 1.9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indexes 2012=100
2019 ANNUAL 107.5 121.3 112.9 120.1 107.7 111.7 109.8 110.9
2019 IV 107.9 122.4 113.4 121.3 107.8 112.4 110.3 111.5
III 107.5 r 121.6 r 113.1 r 120.4 r 107.7 r 112.0 r 110.2 r 111.2 r
II 107.6 120.9 112.4 119.7 107.5 111.3 110.3 110.9
I 106.9 120.4 112.6 119.0 107.6 111.3 108.4 110.0
2018 ANNUAL 105.7 118.1 111.8 115.8 105.7 109.5 109.1 109.3
2018 IV 106.0 119.2 112.4 116.4 105.5 109.8 110.4 110.0
III 106.0 118.8 112.1 116.1 105.7 109.6 109.9 109.7
II 105.7 117.8 111.5 115.3 105.5 109.1 109.4 109.3
I 105.2 116.7 110.9 115.2 106.0 109.6 106.6 108.3
2017 ANNUAL 104.4 114.2 109.4 112.3 105.0 107.6 105.9 106.9
2017 IV 104.9 115.8 110.4 114.1 105.7 108.7 106.5 107.8
III 104.7 114.7 109.5 112.7 105.2 107.6 106.3 107.0
II 103.9 113.5 109.2 111.4 104.6 107.2 105.5 106.5
I 103.8 112.7 108.6 110.9 104.2 106.8 105.4 106.2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnotes following Table 6. February 6, 2020
r=revised Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Table 3. Manufacturing sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, and unit labor costs,
seasonally adjusted.
Real
Year Labor Hourly hourly Unit
and produc- Hours compensa- compensa- labor
quarter tivity Output worked tion (1) tion (2) costs
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2019 ANNUAL 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.8 1.9 3.8
2019 IV -1.2 -1.0 0.2 4.6 2.0 5.9
III -0.3 r 1.0 r 1.3 r 3.1 1.2 r 3.3 r
II -2.4 r -3.1 -0.7 2.6 -0.3 5.1 r
I 1.2 -1.7 -2.9 8.2 7.2 6.9
2018 ANNUAL 0.3 r 2.3 r 1.9 2.2 -0.3 1.8 r
2018 IV 0.9 1.6 0.7 3.4 1.8 2.5
III 0.4 4.0 3.6 2.4 0.4 2.0
II 1.4 2.7 1.2 -4.6 -6.7 -6.0
I -0.2 1.9 2.2 4.4 1.2 4.7
2017 ANNUAL -0.5 r 0.6 r 1.0 3.5 1.3 4.0 r
2017 IV 3.2 r 5.1 r 1.7 5.4 2.2 2.0 r
III -5.2 r -2.7 r 2.7 1.9 -0.2 7.5 r
II 1.8 r 1.7 r -0.2 3.9 3.5 2.0 r
I -1.6 r 0.4 r 2.1 3.9 1.1 5.6 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2019 ANNUAL 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.8 1.9 3.8
2019 IV -0.7 -1.2 -0.5 4.6 2.5 5.3
III -0.2 r -0.6 r -0.4 4.3 2.5 4.5 r
II 0.0 0.1 0.2 4.1 2.2 4.1
I 1.0 1.6 0.6 2.2 0.6 1.3
2018 ANNUAL 0.3 r 2.3 r 1.9 2.2 -0.3 1.8 r
2018 IV 0.6 2.5 1.9 1.3 -0.9 0.7
III 1.2 r 3.4 r 2.2 1.8 -0.8 0.6 r
II -0.2 r 1.7 r 1.9 1.7 -0.9 1.9 r
I -0.1 r 1.4 r 1.6 3.9 1.6 4.0 r
2017 ANNUAL -0.5 r 0.6 r 1.0 3.5 1.3 4.0 r
2017 IV -0.5 r 1.1 r 1.6 3.8 1.6 4.3 r
III -1.1 r 0.1 r 1.2 3.7 1.7 4.8 r
II 0.3 r 1.0 r 0.7 3.7 1.7 3.4 r
I -0.6 r 0.1 r 0.7 3.0 0.4 3.6 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indexes 2012=100
2019 ANNUAL 98.6 104.9 106.4 116.9 104.8 118.6
2019 IV 98.2 104.6 106.6 118.5 105.3 120.7
III 98.5 r 104.9 r 106.5 r 117.2 r 104.8 r 119.0 r
II 98.5 r 104.6 r 106.2 116.3 104.5 118.0 r
I 99.1 r 105.5 r 106.4 115.6 104.5 116.6 r
2018 ANNUAL 98.6 r 104.9 r 106.5 112.6 102.8 114.3 r
2018 IV 98.8 r 105.9 r 107.2 113.3 102.7 114.6 r
III 98.6 r 105.5 r 107.0 112.4 102.3 113.9 r
II 98.5 r 104.5 r 106.0 111.7 102.2 113.4 r
I 98.2 r 103.8 r 105.7 113.0 103.9 115.1 r
2017 ANNUAL 98.2 r 102.6 r 104.5 110.2 103.0 112.2 r
2017 IV 98.3 r 103.3 r 105.1 111.8 103.6 113.8 r
III 97.5 r 102.0 r 104.7 110.4 103.1 113.2 r
II 98.8 r 102.7 r 104.0 109.8 103.1 111.2 r
I 98.3 r 102.3 r 104.0 108.8 102.3 110.6 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnotes following Table 6. February 6, 2020
r=revised Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Table 4. Durable manufacturing sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, and unit labor
costs, seasonally adjusted.
Real
Year Labor Hourly hourly Unit
and produc- Hours compensa- compensa- labor
quarter tivity Output worked tion (1) tion (2) costs
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2019 ANNUAL 0.4 0.7 0.2 3.7 1.8 3.2
2019 IV -0.8 -1.6 -0.8 6.6 3.9 7.5
III 0.6 r 1.7 r 1.1 r 2.5 r 0.7 r 1.9 r
II -1.1 -2.3 -1.2 1.9 -1.0 3.1
I 0.1 -2.7 -2.8 8.6 7.6 8.5
2018 ANNUAL 0.7 r 3.0 r 2.3 2.6 0.2 1.9 r
2018 IV 2.0 4.7 2.7 3.0 1.5 1.0
III 1.9 5.8 3.8 1.8 -0.2 -0.1
II 0.3 2.2 1.9 -4.3 -6.3 -4.6
I 0.4 3.9 3.5 4.2 1.0 3.8
2017 ANNUAL 0.1 r 0.7 r 0.6 4.2 2.0 4.2 r
2017 IV 3.4 r 4.6 r 1.2 7.5 4.3 4.0 r
III -4.7 r -2.5 r 2.3 1.5 -0.7 6.5 r
II 3.1 r 0.9 r -2.1 6.9 6.5 3.8 r
I -1.5 r 1.4 r 2.9 3.4 0.5 4.9 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2019 ANNUAL 0.4 0.7 0.2 3.7 1.8 3.2
2019 IV -0.3 -1.2 -0.9 4.9 2.8 5.2
III 0.4 0.3 -0.1 4.0 2.2 3.6
II 0.7 1.3 0.6 3.8 1.9 3.1
I 1.1 2.5 1.4 2.2 0.5 1.1
2018 ANNUAL 0.7 r 3.0 r 2.3 2.6 0.2 1.9 r
2018 IV 1.1 4.2 r 3.0 1.1 -1.1 0.0
III 1.5 r 4.1 r 2.6 2.2 -0.4 0.7 r
II -0.2 r 2.0 r 2.2 2.1 -0.5 2.4 r
I 0.5 r 1.7 r 1.2 5.0 2.7 4.5 r
2017 ANNUAL 0.1 r 0.7 r 0.6 4.2 2.0 4.2 r
2017 IV 0.0 r 1.1 r 1.1 4.8 2.6 4.8 r
III -0.7 r 0.1 r 0.8 4.3 2.3 5.1 r
II 1.0 r 1.2 r 0.2 4.6 2.6 3.6 r
I 0.0 r 0.4 r 0.4 3.2 0.6 3.2 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indexes 2012=100
2019 ANNUAL 99.9 106.6 106.7 117.7 105.5 117.9
2019 IV 99.7 106.4 106.6 119.7 106.3 120.0
III 100.0 r 106.8 r 106.9 r 117.8 r 105.3 r 117.8 r
II 99.8 r 106.4 r 106.6 117.0 105.1 117.3 r
I 100.1 r 107.0 r 106.9 116.5 105.4 116.4 r
2018 ANNUAL 99.5 r 105.9 r 106.5 113.5 103.6 114.2 r
2018 IV 100.1 r 107.7 r 107.6 114.1 103.5 114.0 r
III 99.6 r 106.5 r 106.9 113.3 103.1 113.7 r
II 99.1 r 105.0 r 105.9 112.8 103.1 113.8 r
I 99.0 r 104.4 r 105.4 114.0 104.8 115.1 r
2017 ANNUAL 98.7 r 102.8 r 104.1 110.7 103.5 112.1 r
2017 IV 99.0 r 103.4 r 104.5 112.8 104.6 114.0 r
III 98.1 r 102.3 r 104.2 110.8 103.5 112.9 r
II 99.3 r 102.9 r 103.6 110.4 103.7 111.2 r
I 98.6 r 102.7 r 104.2 108.6 102.1 110.1 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnotes following Table 6. February 6, 2020
r=revised Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Table 5. Nondurable manufacturing sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, and unit labor
costs, seasonally adjusted.
Real
Year Labor Hourly hourly Unit
and produc- Hours compensa- compensa- labor
quarter tivity Output worked tion (1) tion (2) costs
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2019 ANNUAL -0.2 -0.8 -0.6 3.9 2.1 4.2
2019 IV -2.2 -0.4 1.9 1.1 -1.4 3.4
III -1.3 r 0.3 r 1.6 4.2 2.4 5.5 r
II -4.2 -4.0 0.2 4.1 1.1 8.6
I 2.5 -0.7 -3.2 7.3 6.3 4.6
2018 ANNUAL 0.1 r 1.5 r 1.4 1.2 -1.2 1.1 r
2018 IV 1.0 -1.6 -2.6 3.6 2.1 2.6
III -1.1 r 2.2 3.4 3.5 1.5 4.7
II 3.0 3.1 0.1 -5.5 -7.5 -8.3
I -0.1 -0.1 0.0 4.4 1.1 4.5
2017 ANNUAL -1.6 r 0.1 r 1.7 2.3 0.1 3.9 r
2017 IV 2.7 r 5.4 r 2.6 1.4 -1.7 -1.3 r
III -6.1 r -2.9 r 3.3 2.9 0.8 9.6 r
II -0.9 r 2.3 r 3.2 -1.3 -1.7 -0.4 r
I -1.5 r -0.8 r 0.6 4.8 1.9 6.3 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2019 ANNUAL -0.2 -0.8 -0.6 3.9 2.1 4.2
2019 IV -1.3 -1.2 0.1 4.1 2.1 5.5
III -0.5 r -1.5 r -1.0 4.8 3.0 5.3 r
II -0.5 -1.1 -0.6 4.6 2.7 5.1
I 1.3 0.7 -0.6 2.1 0.5 0.8
2018 ANNUAL 0.1 r 1.5 r 1.4 1.2 -1.2 1.1 r
2018 IV 0.7 0.9 0.2 1.4 -0.8 0.7
III 1.1 r 2.6 r 1.5 0.9 -1.7 -0.2 r
II -0.2 r 1.3 r 1.5 0.7 -1.9 0.9 r
I -1.1 r 1.1 r 2.3 1.8 -0.4 3.0 r
2017 ANNUAL -1.6 r 0.1 r 1.7 2.3 0.1 3.9 r
2017 IV -1.5 r 0.9 r 2.5 1.9 -0.2 3.5 r
III -1.9 r -0.2 r 1.7 2.5 0.5 4.5 r
II -1.1 r 0.4 r 1.5 2.1 0.1 3.2 r
I -1.9 r -0.7 r 1.3 2.6 0.0 4.6 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indexes 2012=100
2019 ANNUAL 98.6 104.4 105.9 115.1 103.2 116.8
2019 IV 97.7 104.1 106.5 116.3 103.3 119.0
III 98.3 r 104.1 r 106.0 115.9 103.7 r 118.0 r
II 98.6 r 104.1 r 105.6 114.7 103.1 116.4 r
I 99.6 r 105.1 r 105.5 113.6 102.8 114.0 r
2018 ANNUAL 98.8 r 105.2 r 106.5 110.8 101.1 112.2 r
2018 IV 99.0 r 105.3 r 106.4 111.6 101.2 112.7 r
III 98.8 r 105.8 r 107.1 110.6 100.7 112.0 r
II 99.1 r 105.2 r 106.2 109.7 100.3 110.7 r
I 98.3 r 104.4 r 106.2 111.2 102.3 113.2 r
2017 ANNUAL 98.7 r 103.6 r 105.0 109.5 102.3 110.9 r
2017 IV 98.3 r 104.4 r 106.2 110.1 102.0 111.9 r
III 97.7 r 103.1 r 105.5 109.7 102.4 112.3 r
II 99.2 r 103.8 r 104.6 108.9 102.2 109.7 r
I 99.5 r 103.3 r 103.8 109.2 102.7 109.8 r
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnotes following Table 6. February 6, 2020
r=revised Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Table 6. Nonfinancial corporate sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, unit labor costs,
unit profits, and prices, seasonally adjusted.
Real
Hourly hourly Unit Total Implicit
Year Labor compen- compen- Unit nonlabor unit Unit price
and produc- Hours sation sation labor costs costs profits deflator
quarter tivity Output worked (1) (2) costs (6) (7) (8) (4)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2019 III 2.4 r 3.0 r 0.6 2.4 0.6 0.0 r 4.3 r 1.4 r -4.8 r 0.7
II 0.8 1.1 0.3 2.3 -0.6 1.4 1.2 1.3 12.0 2.4
I 1.6 3.6 2.0 9.0 8.1 7.3 1.1 5.3 -33.7 -0.1
2018 ANNUAL -0.2 1.9 2.1 3.2 0.8 3.4 3.0 3.3 -1.1 2.8
2018 IV 1.4 2.4 1.1 0.4 -1.1 -1.0 3.5 0.5 0.0 0.4
III 4.6 6.3 1.7 1.4 -0.6 -3.0 -2.5 -2.9 12.7 -1.2
II -3.1 -0.4 2.8 -0.6 -2.7 2.5 5.3 3.4 4.8 3.6
I 1.4 3.3 1.9 9.7 6.3 8.2 1.6 6.0 0.2 5.3
2017 ANNUAL 0.3 2.0 1.7 3.3 1.1 3.0 2.2 2.7 -2.9 2.0
2017 IV -0.9 1.7 2.7 2.6 -0.5 3.6 4.3 3.8 -7.6 2.4
III -3.5 -2.3 1.3 2.3 0.2 6.0 6.6 6.2 -16.0 3.2
II 0.6 3.4 2.8 0.5 0.1 -0.1 1.5 0.4 3.2 0.7
I 4.8 6.7 1.8 7.8 4.8 2.8 -3.7 0.6 16.4 2.5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2019 III 1.5 r 2.5 r 1.0 3.5 1.7 1.9 r 2.5 r 2.1 r -8.3 r 0.9
II 2.1 3.4 1.2 3.2 1.4 1.1 0.8 1.0 -4.4 0.4
I 1.1 3.0 1.9 2.5 0.8 1.4 1.8 1.5 -5.9 0.7
2018 ANNUAL -0.2 1.9 2.1 3.2 0.8 3.4 3.0 3.3 -1.1 2.8
2018 IV 1.0 2.9 1.9 2.6 0.4 1.6 1.9 1.7 4.3 2.0
III 0.5 2.7 2.3 3.2 0.6 2.7 2.1 2.5 2.2 2.5
II -1.5 0.6 2.2 3.4 0.8 5.1 4.4 4.9 -5.0 3.6
I -0.6 1.5 2.2 3.7 1.5 4.4 3.5 4.1 -5.4 2.9
2017 ANNUAL 0.3 2.0 1.7 3.3 1.1 3.0 2.2 2.7 -2.9 2.0
2017 IV 0.2 2.3 2.1 3.3 1.1 3.1 2.1 2.7 -1.8 2.2
III 0.3 2.0 1.6 3.4 1.4 3.1 2.5 2.9 -4.0 2.0
II 1.2 3.0 1.7 3.1 1.2 1.9 1.1 1.6 0.6 1.5
I -0.7 0.6 1.3 3.2 0.6 3.9 3.0 3.6 -6.2 2.3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indexes 2012=100
2019 III 102.9 r 117.6 r 114.3 r 119.6 r 107.0 r 116.3 r 112.5 r 115.0 r 83.3 r 110.5 r
II 102.3 116.7 114.2 118.9 106.8 116.3 111.3 114.7 84.4 110.3
I 102.1 116.4 114.1 118.3 107.0 115.9 111.0 114.3 82.0 109.7
2018 ANNUAL 101.0 114.0 112.9 115.5 105.4 114.3 110.0 112.9 89.3 109.5
2018 IV 101.6 115.4 113.5 115.7 104.9 113.9 110.7 112.8 90.9 109.7
III 101.3 114.7 113.2 115.6 105.2 114.2 109.7 112.7 90.9 109.6
II 100.2 112.9 112.8 115.2 105.4 115.0 110.4 113.5 88.2 109.9
I 101.0 113.0 112.0 115.4 106.1 114.3 109.0 112.6 87.2 108.9
2017 ANNUAL 101.2 111.9 110.5 111.9 104.6 110.6 106.8 109.3 90.3 106.6
2017 IV 100.6 112.1 111.5 112.8 104.5 112.1 108.6 110.9 87.2 107.5
III 100.8 111.6 110.7 112.0 104.6 111.1 107.5 109.9 88.9 106.9
II 101.7 112.3 110.4 111.4 104.6 109.5 105.7 108.2 92.9 106.0
I 101.6 111.3 109.6 111.3 104.6 109.5 105.4 108.1 92.1 105.9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnotes following Table 6. February 6, 2020
r=revised Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
SOURCES: Output data are from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Census Bureau of
the U.S. Department of Commerce; the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor;
and the Federal Reserve Board. Hours and compensation data are from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
RELIABILITY: Productivity and cost measures are regularly revised as more complete
information becomes available. The measures are first published within 40 days of the close of
the reference period; revisions appear 30 days later, and second revisions after an additional 60
days. In the business sector, the third publication (second revision) of a quarterly index of output
per hour of all persons has differed from the initial value by between -1.4 and 1.4 index points
approximately 95 percent of the time. This interval is based on the performance of this measure
between the fourth quarter of 1995 and the third quarter of 2019.
Table Footnotes
(1) Wages and salaries of employees plus employers' contributions for social insurance and
private benefit plans. Except for nonfinancial corporations, where there are no self-employed,
data also include an estimate of wages, salaries, and supplemental payments for the self-
employed.
(2) The change for recent quarters is based on the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers
(CPI-U). The trend from 1978-2018 is based on the Consumer Price Index research series (CPI-
U-RS).
(3) Unit nonlabor payments include profits, consumption of fixed capital, taxes on production
and imports less subsidies, net interest and miscellaneous payments, business current transfer
payments, rental income of persons, and the current surplus of government enterprises.
(4) Current dollar output divided by the output index.
(5) Quarterly changes: Percent change compounded at annual rate is calculated using index
numbers to three decimal places. Indexes published in the news release are rounded to one
decimal place for convenience. Annual changes: Percent change is calculated using annual
indexes to three decimal places.
(6) Unit nonlabor costs include consumption of fixed capital, taxes on production and imports
less subsidies, net interest and miscellaneous payments, and business current transfer payments.
(7) Total unit costs are the sum of unit labor and nonlabor costs.
(8) Unit profits include corporate profits before tax with inventory valuation and capital
consumption adjustment.
United States Department of Labor
