2008 International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends — 2009-10-22

Manufacturing labor productivity decreased in 2008 in 12 of the 17 economies compared by the U.S. Department of Labor�s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Republic of Korea and the United States had the largest productivity increases (1.2 percent each) among the five economies where productivity increased. Singapore had the steepest productivity decline (-6.6 percent). (See chart 1.) For all economies, labor productivity in manufacturing increased less or declined more in 2008 than the average annual changes over the 2000-2008 period, when almost all of the economies studied experienced productivity increases. Average annual growth rates for selected measures over various time periods are shown in tables A and B. The data presented for the United States differ from those appearing in BLS Productivity and Costs news releases. (See technical notes.) PRINTED COPY CONTAINS CHART AT THIS POINT: Chart 1.