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Productivity, output, and hours worked, fourth quarter 2012

February 08, 2013

Nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreased at a 2.0-percent annual rate during the fourth quarter of 2012. The decrease in productivity reflects increases of 0.1 percent in output and 2.2 percent in hours worked.

Over-the-year change in hours, output, and labor productivity, nonfarm business sector, fourth quarter 2007-fourth quarter 2012
Over-the-year change in hours, output, and labor productivity, nonfarm business sector, fourth quarter 2007–fourth quarter 2012
 Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
HoursOutputLabor productivity

2007 IV

-0.32.22.5

2008 I

-0.51.31.9

2008 II

-1.30.21.6

2008 III

-2.1-1.90.2

2008 IV

-4.4-5.4-1.1

2009 I

-6.6-5.80.9

2009 II

-8.2-6.51.9

2009 III

-8.3-5.13.4

2009 IV

-5.9-0.65.6

2010 I

-3.21.54.9

2010 II

-0.22.93.0

2010 III

1.54.12.6

2010 IV

1.93.71.8

2011 I

2.22.90.7

2011 II

1.93.01.1

2011 III

1.72.20.4

2011 IV

1.92.50.6

2012 I

2.23.21.0

2012 II

1.72.91.2

2012 III

1.83.71.8

2012 IV (p)

1.82.40.6

Footnotes:
(p) = preliminary.
 

 

From the fourth quarter of 2011 to the fourth quarter of 2012, productivity increased 0.6 percent as output and hours rose 2.4 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively.

Annual average productivity increased 1.0 percent from 2011 to 2012.

These data are from the BLS Labor Productivity and Costs program, are seasonally adjusted, and are subject to revision. To learn more, see “Productivity and Costs — Fourth Quarter and Annual Averages 2012, Preliminary,” (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-13-0192. Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of hours worked of all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family members. 

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Productivity, output, and hours worked, fourth quarter 2012 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2013/ted_20130208.htm (visited April 30, 2025).

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