2006 revised International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends — 2008-02-28

Manufacturing labor productivity increased in 2006 in 15 of the 16 economies compared by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. (See chart 1.) The Republic of Korea had the largest productivity increase of 10.8 percent, while Germany and Taiwan followed with increases of 7.1 and 6.9 percent, respectively. The United States productivity increase of 2.0 percent placed it twelfth among the 16 economies compared, while Canada was the only economy with a decline in productivity (-0.1 percent). Over the 2000-2006 period, of the 16 economies studied, only Korea, Sweden, and Taiwan had greater productivity growth than the United States. Average annual growth rates for selected measures are shown in tables A and B. The data presented for the United States differ from those appearing in BLS Productivity and Costs news releases. (See technical notes.) PRINTED COPY CONTAINS CHART AT THIS POINT: Chart 1.