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From the first quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025, nonfarm business labor productivity increased 1.4 percent, reflecting a 2.2-percent increase in output and a 0.8-percent increase in hours worked. Over-the-year productivity growth has slowed since its recent peak a year earlier when it rose 3.3 percent from the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024.
Quarter | Nonfarm business | Manufacturing | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labor productivity | Output | Hours worked | Labor productivity | Output | Hours worked | |
Q1 2015 |
1.8 | 5.2 | 3.4 | -2.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 |
Q2 2015 |
1.6 | 4.2 | 2.6 | -1.9 | -1.2 | 0.7 |
Q3 2015 |
1.0 | 3.0 | 1.9 | -1.9 | -1.2 | 0.7 |
Q4 2015 |
0.7 | 2.4 | 1.6 | -1.2 | -1.7 | -0.4 |
Q1 2016 |
0.6 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.1 | -0.3 | -0.4 |
Q2 2016 |
0.2 | 1.5 | 1.4 | -0.5 | -0.1 | 0.5 |
Q3 2016 |
0.2 | 2.0 | 1.7 | -0.3 | -0.3 | 0.0 |
Q4 2016 |
1.5 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | -0.4 |
Q1 2017 |
1.2 | 2.5 | 1.2 | -0.6 | -0.4 | 0.2 |
Q2 2017 |
1.2 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Q3 2017 |
1.7 | 3.0 | 1.3 | -1.3 | -0.3 | 0.9 |
Q4 2017 |
1.8 | 3.7 | 1.9 | -1.2 | 0.9 | 2.1 |
Q1 2018 |
1.9 | 4.1 | 2.1 | -0.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 |
Q2 2018 |
1.9 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
Q3 2018 |
1.4 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 1.8 |
Q4 2018 |
0.4 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
Q1 2019 |
1.0 | 2.3 | 1.3 | -1.0 | -0.3 | 0.7 |
Q2 2019 |
1.6 | 2.7 | 1.1 | -2.7 | -2.1 | 0.6 |
Q3 2019 |
2.4 | 3.4 | 0.9 | -3.0 | -3.0 | 0.0 |
Q4 2019 |
3.6 | 4.0 | 0.4 | -2.6 | -3.3 | -0.7 |
Q1 2020 |
2.2 | 1.1 | -1.1 | -1.7 | -3.7 | -2.1 |
Q2 2020 |
6.5 | -9.3 | -14.9 | -2.4 | -15.9 | -13.8 |
Q3 2020 |
7.0 | -1.7 | -8.2 | 1.9 | -6.1 | -7.9 |
Q4 2020 |
5.2 | -1.0 | -5.9 | 1.8 | -3.7 | -5.3 |
Q1 2021 |
6.5 | 2.7 | -3.6 | 1.6 | -1.9 | -3.4 |
Q2 2021 |
1.6 | 15.6 | 13.8 | 4.8 | 15.1 | 9.9 |
Q3 2021 |
-0.6 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 0.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
Q4 2021 |
0.9 | 6.8 | 5.9 | 0.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 |
Q1 2022 |
-1.1 | 4.4 | 5.6 | -0.3 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
Q2 2022 |
-1.9 | 2.5 | 4.5 | -1.4 | 3.4 | 4.8 |
Q3 2022 |
-1.4 | 2.3 | 3.7 | -1.6 | 2.7 | 4.4 |
Q4 2022 |
-1.4 | 1.0 | 2.4 | -2.0 | 0.6 | 2.6 |
Q1 2023 |
0.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | -1.3 | 0.0 | 1.4 |
Q2 2023 |
1.7 | 2.8 | 1.1 | -0.6 | -0.6 | 0.0 |
Q3 2023 |
2.9 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -0.7 | -0.7 |
Q4 2023 |
3.1 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 1.3 | -0.3 | -1.5 |
Q1 2024 |
3.3 | 3.0 | -0.3 | 1.2 | -0.6 | -1.7 |
Q2 2024 |
3.0 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | -0.3 | -0.7 |
Q3 2024 |
2.5 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.7 | -0.4 | -1.0 |
Q4 2024 |
2.1 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | -0.4 | -0.7 |
Q1 2025 |
1.4 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 1.1 | -0.4 |
In manufacturing, labor productivity increased 1.5 percent from the first quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025, reflecting a 1.1-percent increase in output and a 0.4-percent decrease in hours worked.
These data are from the Productivity program and are subject to revision. See "Productivity and Costs — First Quarter, Preliminary" to learn more. Also see charts on productivity and costs. Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of hours worked for all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Nonfarm business productivity up 1.4 percent from first quarter 2025 to first quarter 2025 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/nonfarm-business-productivity-up-1-4-percent-from-first-quarter-2025-to-first-quarter-2025.htm (visited May 16, 2025).