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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Productivity > Methods > Technical Notes

Technical Notes

Technical notes contain detail on how we create our data and short explanations of our concepts. For additional published articles on concepts and measurement see Articles and Research. Additionally, the BLS Handbook of Methods presents detailed explanations of how the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) obtains and prepares the economic data it publishes.

Recent Method Research and Implementation

Starting with data released on December 4^th, 2024, the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) for Major Industries release reflects improved treatment of taxes and subsidies in TFP related measures. Read more about the taxes and subsidies method change.
Starting with data released on November 18^th, 2022, the Total Factor Productivity for Major Industries release reflects new methods and data sources for the estimation of labor composition, which is a measure of the changing skill composition of the work force. Labor composition is used to adjust the number of hours worked by industry to estimate labor input. Read more about the labor composition method change.
Starting with data released on November 3^rd, 2022, the Productivity and Costs release uses the BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) all-employee hours data series to estimate hours worked. Subsequent Productivity data releases will incorporate this method as they are published in 2023. Read more about the all-employee hours method change .

Labor Productivity

Industry Hours and Employment - detailed industries. May 2014.
Construction of Employment and Hours for Self-Employed and Other Nonfarm Workers and for All Farm Workers, Using Current Population Survey Data for Primary and Secondary Jobs. March 2006. (PDF
of article "Construction of Employment and Hours for Self-Employed and Other Nonfarm Workers and for All Farm Workers, Using Current Population Survey Data for Primary and Secondary Jobs."
)
Construction of Average Weekly Hours for Supervisory and Nonproduction Wage and Salary Workers in Detailed Industries. August 2005. (PDF
of article "Construction of Average Weekly Hours for Supervisory and Nonproduction Wage and Salary Workers in Detailed Industries."
)
Labor Productivity Hours Data Information, 2004
Construction of Average Weekly Hours for Supervisory and Nonproduction Wage and Salary Workers in Private Nonfarm Establishments. October 2004. (PDF
of article "Construction of Average Weekly Hours for Supervisory and Nonproduction Wage and Salary Workers in Private Nonfarm Establishments."
)
Hours at Work Ratios Derived from the Employment Cost Index, 2001–2003. Brief description of the Bureau of Labor Statistics new ratios of hours at work to hours paid and reasons for the discontinuation of the Hours at Work Survey. (PDF
of article "Hours at Work Ratios Derived from the Employment Cost Index, 2001–2003. Brief description of the Bureau of Labor Statistics new ratios of hours at work to hours paid and reasons for the discontinuation of the Hours at Work Survey."
)

Total Factor Productivity

The BLS Productivity program replaced the term multifactor productivity (MFP) with total factor productivity (TFP) beginning with the 2020 data release. This was a change in terminology only and does not affect the data or methodology. The use of the term total factor productivity will improve the visibility and accessibility of our data and was accompanied by changes to the BLS website and future productivity news releases.

Method Change for Estimating Sectoral Output, 2017
Changes in the Composition of Labor for BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures, 2016 (PDF
of article "Changes in the Composition of Labor for BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures, 2016."
)
Overview of Output Measures Used by BLS to Construct Productivity Statistics for Major Sectors of the U.S. Economy, 2014 (PDF
of article "Overview of Output Measures Used by BLS to Construct Productivity Statistics for Major Sectors of the U.S. Economy, 2014."
)
Technical Information About the BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures for Major Sectors and 18 NAICS 3-digit Manufacturing Industries, 2007 (PDF
of article "Technical Information About the BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures for Major Sectors and 18 NAICS 3-digit Manufacturing Industries, 2007."
)
Changes in the Composition of Labor for BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures, 2002 (PDF
of article "Changes in the Composition of Labor for BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures, 2002."
)
Productivity measurement with changing-weight indexes of outputs and inputs, 1996 (PDF
of article "Productivity measurement with changing-weight indexes of outputs and inputs, 1996."
)
Data sources and methods for measuring multifactor productivity in the utility services industries (SIC 49) (PDF
of article "Data sources and methods for measuring multifactor productivity in the utility services industries (SIC 49)."
)

Capital

Total factor productivity capital asset category definitions (XLSX)
Overview of Capital Inputs for the BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures, 2017 (PDF
of article "Overview of Capital Inputs for the BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures, 2017."
)
Technical Note on Public R&D and Productivity Growth, 2012 (PDF
of article "Technical Note on Public R&D and Productivity Growth, 2012."
)
The impact of research and development on productivity growth, 1989 (PDF
of article "The impact of research and development on productivity growth, 1989."
)

Release Technical Notes

Additional release information and measure explanation.