Productivity and Costs by Industry: Selected Service-Providing and Mining Industries News Release — 2008-05-21

Labor productivity, defined as output per hour, rose in nearly two- thirds of the measured service-providing and mining industries in 2006, about the same proportion as in 2005. Output rose in 66 percent of the industries, while labor hours increased in 59 percent. Unit labor costs fell in approximately 20 percent of the industries in 2006. Over the period 1987 to 2006, labor productivity increased in 86 percent of the industries, significantly more than in 2006. Output grew in 91 percent, while hours increased in 66 percent of the industries. Unit labor costs fell in one quarter of the industries over the longer period. In 2006, output per hour increased in 27 of the 40 detailed service- providing industries and in one of the 4 detailed mining industries studied.