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Labor productivity rose in 17 of 28 selected service-providing industries in 2016
May 30, 2017
Labor productivity rose in 17 of 28 selected service-providing industries in 2016. This was greater than in 2015, when labor productivity increased in 14 of 28 industries. In 2016, output and hours increased in fewer industries than in 2015.
Among service industries with increasing productivity, output grew in 13 industries. Hours worked grew in 15 of the 28 industries. Productivity gains of at least 8.0 percent occurred in 3 industries where increases in output coincided with declines in hours worked: cable and other subscription programming (19.1 percent), wireless telecommunications carriers (12.7 percent), and accounting and bookkeeping services (8.8 percent).
Percent change in output and hours worked in selected service-providing industries, 2015–2016
Industry
Percent change
2016 employment
Labor productivity
Output
Hours worked
Utilities
Power generation and supply
-1.0%
-0.7%
0.3%
393,600
Natural gas distribution
1.0
-0.8
-1.8
112,500
Water, sewage and other systems
-5.2
-3.3
2.1
50,100
Transportation and Warehousing
Air transportation
0.4
3.4
2.9
448,100
Line-haul railroads
9.6
-0.1
-8.9
173,100
General freight trucking, local
-2.8
-3.7
-0.9
317,400
General freight trucking, long-distance
-2.6
-1.7
0.9
884,100
Specialized freight trucking
6.5
3.4
-2.9
469,700
Postal service
1.3
1.2
-0.2
608,900
Couriers and messengers
-1.5
3.6
5.2
675,400
Warehousing and storage
-8.8
5.1
15.2
922,100
Information
Newspaper publishers
4.3
-5.8
-9.7
183,000
Periodical publishers
2.7
-4.2
-6.7
108,400
Software publishers
-2.1
1.8
4.0
356,100
Radio and television broadcasting
2.3
1.3
-0.9
223,000
Cable and other subscription programming
19.1
6.6
-10.5
54,200
Wired telecommunications carriers
3.0
1.4
-1.6
590,600
Wireless telecommunications carriers
12.7
8.5
-3.8
122,500
Finance and Insurance
Commercial banking
-3.5
-0.6
3.1
1,307,000
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
Truck, trailer, and RV rental and leasing
-1.4
4.2
5.7
76,300
Professional and Technical Services
Accounting and bookkeeping services
8.8
8.1
-0.6
1,145,400
Engineering services
-0.2
0.2
0.4
973,000
Administrative and Waste Services
Travel arrangement and reservation services
0.3
6.6
6.2
238,400
Health Care and Social Assistance
Medical and diagnostic laboratories
2.1
2.2
0.1
271,200
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
Amusement parks and arcades
3.4
2.7
-0.7
208,800
Gambling industries
1.3
2.1
0.8
136,100
Other Services
Automotive repair and maintenance
-0.8
-0.5
0.3
1,113,500
Drycleaning and laundry services
1.3
2.4
1.0
316,600
Three industries recorded productivity declines despite output gains of at least 3.0 percent because of larger increases in hours worked: warehousing and storage (−8.8 percent); couriers and messengers (−1.5 percent); and truck, trailer, and RV rental and leasing (−1.4 percent).
These data are from the Labor Productivity and Costs program. Data are preliminary and may be revised. To learn more, see "Productivity and Costs by Industry: Selected Service-Providing Industries — 2016" (HTML) (PDF).
United States Department of Labor
