Labor productivity up in 47 of 86 manufacturing industries in 2021
May 12, 2022
Labor productivity rose in 47 of 86 manufacturing industries in 2021. The railroad rolling stock industry had the largest productivity gain, 20.6 percent. Four out of the five mining industries posted productivity gains in 2021, with the greatest increase occurring in coal mining, 18.3 percent.
1-year percent change in productivity, 2021
Industry
Percent change
Mining
1.0%
Oil and gas extraction
8.8
Mining, except oil and gas
4.6
Coal mining
18.3
Metal ore mining
-2.8
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying
3.6
Food
-1.9
Animal food
-3.1
Grain and oilseed milling
3.8
Sugar and confectionery products
-13.8
Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty
-2.2
Dairy products
-2.6
Animal slaughtering and processing
1.7
Seafood product preparation and packaging
-7.4
Bakeries and tortilla products
-3.1
Other food products
-3.8
Beverages and tobacco products
-15.5
Beverages
-14.7
Tobacco
-6.9
Textile mills
-1.6
Fiber, yarn, and thread mills
-9.6
Fabric mills
-1.6
Textile and fabric finishing mills
8.8
Textile product mills
3.1
Textile furnishings mills
7.7
Other textile product mills
-2.2
Apparel
1.2
Apparel knitting mills
9.5
Cut and sew apparel
1.2
Accessories and other apparel
-4.1
Leather and allied products
0.7
Leather and hide tanning and finishing
20.0
Footwear
-5.8
Other leather products
0.1
Paper
-1.2
Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills
2.2
Converted paper products
-2.7
Printing and related support activities
0.6
Printing and related support activities
0.6
Petroleum and coal products
-4.3
Petroleum and coal products
-4.3
Chemicals
-0.7
Basic chemicals
3.5
Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers
0.5
Agricultural chemicals
-5.9
Pharmaceuticals and medicines
-1.9
Paints, coatings, and adhesives
0.4
Soaps, cleaning compounds, and toiletries
0.7
Other chemical products and preparations
-3.7
Plastics and rubber products
-1.6
Plastics products
-1.9
Rubber products
0.3
Wood products
-1.2
Sawmills and wood preservation
-2.4
Plywood and engineered wood products
3.2
Other wood products
-2.0
Nonmetallic mineral products
0.1
Clay products and refractories
13.3
Glass and glass products
-0.9
Cement and concrete products
-3.4
Lime and gypsum products
7.2
Other nonmetallic mineral products
2.8
Primary metals
9.5
Iron and steel mills and ferroalloys
13.9
Steel products from purchased steel
16.6
Alumina and aluminum production
6.5
Other nonferrous metal production
5.4
Foundries
4.2
Fabricated metal products
1.6
Forging and stamping
8.2
Cutlery and handtools
-5.6
Architectural and structural metals
-0.9
Boilers, tanks, and shipping containers
10.5
Hardware
6.5
Spring and wire products
1.2
Machine shops and threaded products
2.9
Coating, engraving, and heat treating metals
-1.2
Other fabricated metal products
-1.1
Machinery
7.9
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery
12.3
Industrial machinery
8.3
Commercial and service industry machinery
-0.8
HVAC and commercial refrigeration equipment
4.0
Metalworking machinery
6.8
Turbine and power transmission equipment
6.1
Other general purpose machinery
8.5
Computer and electronic products
1.7
Computer and peripheral equipment
2.5
Communications equipment
11.8
Audio and video equipment
11.8
Semiconductors and electronic components
2.4
Electronic instruments
-1.5
Magnetic media manufacturing and reproducing
1.0
Electrical equipment and appliances
-0.5
Electric lighting equipment
4.6
Household appliances
-14.2
Electrical equipment
0.8
Other electrical equipment and components
2.6
Transportation equipment
2.3
Motor vehicles
-11.1
Motor vehicle bodies and trailers
9.3
Motor vehicle parts
6.4
Aerospace products and parts
8.3
Railroad rolling stock
20.6
Ship and boat building
-1.9
Other transportation equipment
-10.7
Furniture and related products
-3.2
Household and institutional furniture
-3.4
Office furniture and fixtures
-1.2
Other furniture related products
-8.1
Miscellaneous manufacturing
-0.7
Medical equipment and supplies
-0.2
Other miscellaneous manufacturing
-0.7
For manufacturing industries, the primary metal industry had the largest productivity gain, of 9.5 percent. Beverage and tobacco products had the largest productivity decline (−15.5 percent).
For mining industries, the productivity gain of 8.8 percent in oil and gas extraction was mostly caused by a decline in hours worked of 8.1 percent.
These data are from the Productivity program. Data are preliminary and may be revised. To learn more, see "Productivity and Costs by Industry: Manufacturing and Mining Industries — 2021 ." To learn more about labor productivity, see Productivity 101 and the Industry Productivity Viewer . We also have more charts related to this news release.
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