1999 International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends — 2000-10-17

In 1999, the productivity growth rate for manufacturing was the highest in the United States among the 10 countries for which comparable data were available, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Labor productivity in manufacturing increased by 6.2 percent in the U.S.; the countries with the next largest increases were the United Kingdom and France. Only one country, Norway, showed no increase in productivity. (See chart 1.) This release contains preliminary estimates for 1999, as well as revisions to the estimates through 1998, and are based on data available in June 2000. The U.S. manufacturing output series used for international comparisons differs from the manufacturing series that BLS publishes quarterly on U.S. productivity and costs. Labor productivity for this release is computed as value added output per hour worked. (See technical notes.) PRINTED COPY CONTAINS CHART AT THIS POINT Chart 1.