Productivity by Industry, 1995 — 1997-04-23

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today on labor productivity changes in 1995 for selected industries in the U.S. economy. Labor productivity--as measured by output per hour--increased from 1994 to 1995 in 69 percent of the industries measured by BLS. Productivity gains were recorded in 1995 in 74 of the 111 separate manufacturing industries measured, the same as in 1994. Of the five largest manufacturing industries, four recorded productivity growth in 1995. Labor productivity rose by 2.6 percent in poultry dressing, 0.6 percent in the steel industry, 0.5 percent in aircraft, and 0.3 percent in miscellaneous plastics products. In steel and in miscellaneous plastics products, the productivity increases were smaller than the increases registered in 1994; in poultry dressing and in the aircraft industry, the productivity improvements followed declines in 1994. In contrast, labor productivity in the motor vehicles and equipment industry fell by 2.7 percent in 1995, after advancing in 1994.