Productivity and Costs by Industry: Manufacturing Industries News Release — 2014-03-27

Labor productivity -- defined as output per hour -- rose in 54 percent of the detailed manufacturing industries covered in 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was down from 68 percent in 2011. Unit labor costs, which reflect the total labor costs required to produce a unit of output, declined in 39 percent of the industries in 2012 compared to 49 percent in 2011. More than half of industries with productivity increases posted declines in unit labor costs. Output and hours rose in more industries in 2012 than in the previous year. (See table 1.) Output rose in 2012 in 40 of 57 NAICS 4-digit manufacturing industries for which data were available, up from 37 industries in 2011. Hours increased in even more industries, 41 compared to 32 in 2011. Hours rose in more industries in 2012 than in any year since 1997.