Productivity and Costs by Industry: Wholesale and Retail Trade, Food Services and Drinking Places News Release — 2008-08-21

Labor productivity - defined as output per hour - increased in wholesale trade and retail trade, and fell in food services and drinking places in 2007 as follows: 2.1 percent in wholesale trade 3.7 percent in retail trade and -0.5 percent in food services and drinking places. Output grew in each of these sectors in 2007. Hours increased in wholesale trade and in food services and drinking places, and declined in retail trade. Productivity rose in 34 of the 50 detailed industries studied. (See table 1.) Unit labor costs declined in 22 of these industries, were unchanged in the retail trade sector, and increased in the wholesale trade and food services and drinking places sectors.