2000 International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends — 2001-08-31

In 2000, the labor productivity growth rate for manufacturing was the highest in the United States among the 10 countries for which comparable data were available, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. The labor productivity increase in the United States was 7.1 percent, followed by 6.0 and 5.8 percent in Germany and France, respectively. The productivity growth rates in Canada and Norway were the lowest among the countries compared. (See chart 1.) These preliminary estimates for 2000, as well as revisions to the estimates through 1999, are based on data available in June 2001. The output series for U.S. manufacturing used for international comparisons differs from the manufacturing series that BLS publishes quarterly on U.S. productivity and costs. Labor productivity for this release is computed as value added output per hour worked. (See technical notes.) PRINTED COPY CONTAINS CHART AT THIS POINT: Chart 1.