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February 1995

Comparative manufacturing productivity and unit labor costs

Mary Greiner, Christopher Kask, Christopher Sparks

The U.S. labor productivity growth rate over the 1979-93 period was matched or exceeded by 8 of 12 countries compared. However, U.S. unit labor costs rose less than the trade-weighted average for competitor economies. This article examines comparative trends in manufacturing output per hour, unit labor costs, and related measures in 1993.

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