1993 International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends — 1994-08-17

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor today reported on 1993 developments in manufacturing productivity (output per hour) and unit labor costs in the United States and other industrial economies. Manufacturing productivity in the United States increased by 4.2 percent in 1993, its largest annual productivity increase since 1987. This rate of growth placed the United States about in the middle of the range exhibited by the 11 countries for which 1993 data are available. Sweden had the largest increase in productivity, at 9 percent, while Japan was the only country in the group to experience a decline in productivity in 1993. (See table A and chart 1.) Unit labor costs decreased 0.6 percent in the United States in 1993. Canada and the Scandinavian countries also had declines in unit labor costs when measured on a national currency basis.