Productivity and Costs: Selected Service-Providing and Mining Industries News Release — 2014-05-21

Labor productivity -- defined as output per hour -- rose in 48 percent of the 58 service-providing and mining industries studied in 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was down from 60 percent in 2011. Unit labor costs, which reflect the total labor costs required to produce a unit of output, declined in 17 percent of the industries in 2012, compared to 31 percent in 2011. Output rose in more industries in 2012 than in any year since 2006, while hours rose in more industries than in any year since 2005. (See table 1.) Output increased in 39 of the 58 service-providing and mining industries studied, while hours rose in 34 industries. The percentage of industries where output increased but hours rose more than output was the highest since the series began in 1987. Labor compensation rose in 84 percent of the industries studied.