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Multifactor productivity up 0.9 percent in 2019

March 30, 2020

Private nonfarm business sector multifactor productivity increased 0.9 percent in 2019. The 2019 increase reflects a 2.7-percent increase in output and a 1.8-percent increase in the combined inputs of capital and labor. Multifactor productivity also increased 0.9 percent in 2018.

Over-the-year percent changes in multifactor productivity and related measures, 1988–2019
Year Multifactor
productivity
Combined
inputs
  Output  

1988

1.0% 3.5% 4.6%

1989

0.2 3.5 3.7

1990

0.1 1.4 1.5

1991

-0.4 -0.1 -0.5

1992

2.9 1.1 4.0

1993

-0.4 3.6 3.1

1994

0.5 4.1 4.6

1995

0.2 3.3 3.5

1996

1.0 3.5 4.5

1997

0.9 4.2 5.1

1998

1.5 3.8 5.4

1999

2.1 3.5 5.7

2000

1.5 3.2 4.7

2001

0.5 0.4 -0.9

2002

2.0 -0.3 -1.7

2003

2.3 0.9 -3.3

2004

2.2 2.0 4.2

2005

1.5 2.4 4.0

2006

0.5 3.0 3.5

2007

0.5 2.0 2.5

2008

-1.2 0.1 -1.0

2009

0.2 -3.8 -3.6

2010

2.7 0.6 3.3

2011

-0.1 2.2 2.0

2012

0.7 2.4 3.2

2013

0.1 2.2 2.3

2014

0.6 2.6 3.2

2015

0.9 2.6 3.6

2016

-0.5 2.2 1.7

2017

0.6 2.2 2.8

2018

0.9 2.6 3.5

2019

0.9 1.8 2.7

The 0.9-percent annual growth of multifactor productivity in the private nonfarm business sector in 2019 is 0.1 percentage point higher than the average annual rate of 0.8 percent over the 1987–2019 period.

Over the 2007–19 period, reflecting the most recent business cycle, multifactor productivity grew at an average annual rate of 0.5 percent as output grew 1.9 percent and combined inputs rose 1.5 percent.

These data are from the Multifactor Productivity program. To learn more, see "Multifactor Productivity Trends — 2019." Multifactor productivity is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of combined units of labor input and capital services.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Multifactor productivity up 0.9 percent in 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/multifactor-productivity-up-0-point-9-percent-in-2019.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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