Productivity and Costs by Industry: Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, and Food Services and Drinking Places News Release — 2019-07-25

Labor productivity rose 1.6 percent in wholesale trade, 3.2 percent in retail trade, and 1.6 percent in food services and drinking places in 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Unit labor costs, which reflect the total labor costs required to produce a unit of output, rose in wholesale trade and food services and drinking places and were unchanged in retail trade. For wholesale trade in 2018, productivity, output, and hours worked all increased at a faster rate than in 2017. In retail trade and food services and drinking places, the growth in output continued to outpace the growth in hours worked in 2018. In these two industry groups, growth in hours worked was slower in 2018 compared to 2017 resulting in a larger productivity increase.