2004 Revised International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends — 2006-02-15

Manufacturing labor productivity increased in 13 of 15 economies in 2004, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. increase of 5.2 percent was the sixth highest. Korea and Sweden had the largest productivity increases (12.1 and 9.8 percent respectively). The U.S. productivity increase is a revision from the preliminary estimate of 4.7 percent released in October 2005. Australia and Italy were the only two economies showing declines in manufacturing productivity in 2004. The 2004 growth rate in U.S. manufacturing productivity was less than the increase in 2003, but above the average annual growth rate since 1979. Seven of the other 13 economies for which comparisons are available also had productivity growth in 2004 that exceeded their annual average increases over the 1979-2004 period.