Full text of Revised Data for 1999 : Text File, USDL 01-78
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Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov USDL 01-78
Technical information: (202) 691-5654 For Release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, April 5, 2001
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF MANUFACTURING PRODUCTIVITY
AND UNIT LABOR COST TRENDS, REVISED DATA FOR 1999
Labor productivity in manufacturing increased in 1999 in 10 of
the 11 countries for which comparable data were available, according to
revised data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of
Labor. The productivity increase in the United States was the highest
among the countries compared, 6.6 percent. The next largest increases
were in the United Kingdom and France. The productivity increase in
Belgium was slight, and there was no change in productivity in Norway.
(See chart 1.)
This release presents revisions to the data contained in a news
release (USDL 00-295) issued Oct. 17, 2000. The output series for U.S.
manufacturing 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. Percent change in manufacturing output per hour, 1999
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Unit labor costs - the cost of labor input required to produce
one unit of output - are computed as the ratio of labor costs in
nominal terms divided by real output. Unit labor costs also can be
expressed as the ratio of hourly compensation to labor productivity.
An increase in productivity represents a decrease in the amount of
labor input used to produce a unit of output; thus, an increase in
productivity can offset an increase in compensation per hour in its
effect on unit labor costs.
Unit labor costs in manufacturing, expressed in national currency
units, declined in 7 of the 14 countries compared in 1999 and rose in
6. Unit labor costs in the United Kingdom were unchanged. The United
States had a decline of 2.4 percent. The largest declines occurred in
Korea (-4.3 percent) and Japan (-3.8 percent). The largest increases
were in Denmark (6.0 percent) and Norway (5.7 percent). (See table A.)
In order to assess international competitiveness trends in
manufactured products properly, changes in exchange rates must be taken
into account. Converted to U.S. dollars at market exchange rates, unit
labor costs increased in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan in 1999. Denmark and
Norway showed increased unit labor costs that were smaller than those
in national currency units. All the other countries experienced
declines. (See chart 2.)
The increase in unit labor costs in U.S. dollars in Japan, Korea,
and Taiwan occurred because the exchange rates of their currencies
strengthened against the U.S. dollar during 1999. The exchange rates
of all the other currencies weakened against the U.S. dollar. (See
table A.)
PRINTED COPY CONTAINS CHART AT THIS POINT:
Chart 2. Percent change in manufacturing unit labor costs (U.S. dollar
basis), 1999
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Table A summarizes changes in manufacturing productivity, unit
labor costs, and related variables between 1998 and 1999. Output and
unit labor cost data are presented for 14 economies. Comparable
productivity data are not shown for Korea, Taiwan, and Denmark. (See
technical notes.) Labor productivity rose or remained unchanged for
all 11 countries. In Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Belgium,
output per hour rose because output increased more than hours. Except
for the U.K., all countries with positive productivity growth
experienced an increase in output and a decrease in hours. The U.K.
growth in productivity was the result of a decline in hours worked
while output remained unchanged. Norway's unchanged productivity was
due to equal decreases in hours worked and in output.
Unit labor costs measured in national currency are affected by
the degree and direction of change in both hourly compensation and
productivity. Of the 11 countries for which hours worked series are
available, all, except Norway and Japan, showed an increase in both
hourly compensation and labor productivity in 1999. In Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, and Belgium, hourly compensation grew more than
productivity, resulting in increases in unit labor costs. In Norway,
an increase in hourly compensation combined with unchanged productivity
resulted in a rise in unit labor costs. In the United Kingdom, hourly
compensation and productivity increased at approximately the same rate.
In the U.S., Canada, France, and Sweden, productivity growth was
greater than the rise in hourly compensation, causing unit labor costs
to decline.
Table A. Manufacturing productivity and unit labor costs in 14 countries or areas
Percent change, 1998-99
Output Total Hourly Unit labor costs
Country per Employ- Average compen- compen- National U.S. Exchange
or area hour Output Hours ment hours sation sation currency dollars rate (1)
United States 6.6 5.7 - 0.8 - 1.6 0.8 3.2 4.0 - 2.4 - 2.4 ---
Canada 2.4 6.2 3.8 2.9 0.9 5.5 1.7 - 0.7 - 0.9 - 0.1
Japan 3.8 0.8 - 2.9 - 2.7 - 0.2 - 3.0 - 0.2 - 3.8 10.8 15.2
Korea (2) NA 21.8 NA NA NA 16.5 NA - 4.3 12.6 17.7
Taiwan (2) NA 6.7 NA NA NA 4.0 NA - 2.5 1.2 3.8
Belgium 0.1 1.2 1.1 - 1.0 2.1 1.5 0.4 0.3 - 3.8 - 4.1
Denmark NA - 3.3 NA - 2.1 NA 2.5 NA 6.0 1.6 - 4.1
France 4.0 2.5 - 1.4 0.2 - 1.7 2.3 3.8 - 0.1 - 4.3 - 4.2
Germany (unified) 1.2 0.4 - 0.8 - 0.4 - 0.4 0.9 1.7 0.5 - 3.7 - 4.2
Italy 1.7 1.0 - 0.7 - 0.3 - 0.4 2.1 2.8 1.1 - 3.4 - 4.4
Netherlands 2.2 3.1 0.8 0.8 0.0 4.0 3.1 0.8 - 3.3 - 4.1
Norway 0.0 - 3.0 - 3.0 - 2.6 - 0.4 2.5 5.7 5.7 2.3 - 3.3
Sweden 3.0 4.2 1.2 1.0 0.2 3.7 2.5 - 0.5 - 4.4 - 3.9
United Kingdom 4.5 0.0 - 4.3 - 3.7 - 0.6 0.0 4.5 0.0 - 2.4 - 2.4
(1) Value of foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar.
(2) Productivity not available because suitable labor input measures have not been developed by BLS.
NA=Not Available
Although the productivity measure relates output to the hours
worked of persons employed in manufacturing, it does not measure the
specific contributions of labor as a single factor of production.
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Rather, it reflects the joint effects of many influences, including new
technology, capital investment, capacity utilization, energy use, and
managerial skills, as well as the skills and efforts of the work force.
Table B (pages 7-11) shows average annual percent changes for
selected periods, beginning in 1979. Annual indexes of the data are in
tables 1-15 (pages 17-31).
BOX: Notes about the measures
The measures in this news release are based on data available to BLS as
of March 2001. Revisions for 1999 and earlier years were made to the
measures for several countries to incorporate data not available at the
time of the October 2000 news release.
U.S. manufacturing output measure
The output measure for manufacturing in the United States is the chain-
weighted index of real gross product originating (deflated value
added), introduced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), U.S.
Department of Commerce, in August 1996. This series is based on
annually changing price weights.
The United States output data used in this report were released by BEA
in December 2000. They include new estimates of GDP by industry for
1999 and revised estimates for 1997-98. The data for 1997-98 reflect
the annual revision of the national income and product accounts
released in August 2000 and newly available source data. The estimates
are described in the Survey of Current Business, Vol. 80, No. 11,
December 2000.
The U.S. output series used for international comparisons differs from
the manufacturing series that BLS publishes on quarterly measures of
U.S. productivity and costs. While both series are based on annually-
changing price weights, the international comparisons program uses a
value added output concept, while the quarterly U.S. manufacturing
series is on a sectoral output basis. For information on the
differences between the value added and the sectoral output measures,
see technical notes.
Germany (unified)
Time series data for the whole of Germany, beginning with 1991, are
published by the German Federal Statistical Office. For years prior to
1991, only data for the former West Germany are available. Comparative
indexes for the former West Germany also are included in this report
for historical comparison purposes, although the data for West Germany
end with 1998 and have not been updated or revised.
New measures of National Accounts
Member states of the European Union are implementing the European
System of Integrated National Accounts (ESA 95). Some other countries
are adopting the System of National Accounts recommended by the United
Nations (SNA 93), on which ESA 95 is based. Revisions to date due to
these conversions to new systems are incorporated in this news release.
END OF BOX (Notes about the measures)
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Manufacturing productivity, output, and labor input
U.S. output per hour in manufacturing increased 6.6 percent in
1999, the largest increase among all countries compared, as well as the
largest U.S. increase since 1987 and twice the average annual increase
between 1979 and 1999. (See tables B and 1.)
Only two countries-Belgium and Norway-experienced lower
productivity change in 1999 than in 1998. In the Netherlands,
productivity growth for 1999 was the same as in 1998. (See table B.)
For the 1979-1999 period, productivity grew on an annual average
basis in all 10 countries for which these data are available. The rate
of increase ranged from 3.8 percent per year for Belgium to 1.4 percent
per year for Norway. Canada was the only country other than Norway
that experienced productivity growth (2.1 percent per year) below 3.0
percent per year. (See table B.)
In 1999, manufacturing output in the U.S. grew 5.7 percent.
Manufacturing output also increased in all the other countries, except
Denmark, Norway, and the U.K. Korean output grew by 21.8 percent in
1999, after declining 7.4 percent in 1998. Increases in other
countries in 1999 ranged from 6.7 percent (Taiwan) to 0.4 percent
(Germany). Japanese output grew by 0.8 percent, after dropping 5.9
percent in 1998. Manufacturing output in Denmark and Norway declined
in 1999, after increasing in 1998. Output in the U.K. was unchanged in
1999. (See table B.)
During 1979-99, manufacturing output increased at an average
annual rate in all the countries compared; the lowest gain was 0.4
percent per year in Norway, and the highest was 8.9 percent per year in
Korea. Seven countries increased output growth above the 1979-1999
annual average, while six countries' output growth was slower than the
average. (See table B.)
In 1999, total hours worked in manufacturing declined in 7 of the
11 countries for which comparable hours data were available and rose in
4. The largest declines were in the U.K. (-4.3 percent) and Norway (-
3.0 percent). U.S. hours fell 0.8 percent, the second consecutive year
that U.S. manufacturing hours declined. Hours worked in Canada
increased 3.8 percent in 1999. Hours also rose in Belgium, the
Netherlands, and Sweden. (See table B.)
Total hours worked in manufacturing declined between 1979 and
1999 in all countries for which hours data are available, except
Canada. Canadian hours worked rose at an average rate of 0.3 percent
per year during the 1979-99 period and have been increasing at a
quicker rate over the last four years. For the other countries, the
average 1979-99 declines in hours ranged from 2.4 percent per year in
the U.K. to 0.4 percent per year in the U.S. (See table B.)
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Manufacturing hourly compensation and unit labor costs
Hourly compensation in manufacturing increased in 1999 in all the
countries for which hours worked data were available, except Japan.
The largest increases occurred in Norway (5.7 percent), the U.K. (4.5
percent), and the U.S. (4.0 percent). In Japan, hourly compensation
declined 0.2 percent in 1999. (See table B.)
A percent change in unit labor costs can be expressed
approximately as a percent change in hourly compensation minus a
percent change in labor productivity. Therefore, an increase in unit
labor costs indicates that labor compensation is rising faster than
productivity, while the inverse is true for declining unit labor costs.
Based on this relationship, table B shows that, for the pre-1990
periods of comparison for all countries, average annual increases in
hourly compensation in national currency surpassed average annual
increases in labor productivity. However, U.S. unit labor costs have
declined at an average annual rate of 0.4 percent since 1990, going
down in three of the last four years. In 1999, unit labor costs
decreased 2.4 percent, as productivity increased 6.6 percent and hourly
compensation increased 4.0 percent. (See table B.)
In 1999, unit labor costs, expressed in national currency units,
declined in seven of the countries compared, increased in six, and were
unchanged in the U.K. The biggest declines occurred in Korea (-4.3
percent) and Japan (-3.8 percent); the largest increases were in
Denmark (6.0 percent) and Norway (5.7 percent). While unit labor costs
in Korea have declined for 3 consecutive years, those in the
Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway have risen for 4, 5, and 20
consecutive years, respectively. U.S. unit labor costs decreased 2.4
percent in 1999, following a small rise in 1998 and declines in 1997
and 1996. Only four other countries besides the U.S.-Japan, Belgium,
France, and Sweden-experienced declines in unit labor costs over the
1990s, measured in their own currencies. (See tables B and 9.)
For the last several years, the U.S. dollar has strengthened
against the currencies of most of the countries being compared. During
1999, all the European currencies weakened against the U.S. dollar,
from 2.4 to 4.4 percent. The Canadian dollar also lost ground to the
U.S. dollar. However, the currencies of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan
appreciated in value during 1999. The Japanese yen rose by 15.2
percent, the Korean won by 17.7 percent, and the Taiwanese dollar by
3.8 percent. (See tables B and 11.)
Movements in the currency markets had a noticeable effect on
comparative unit labor costs expressed in U.S. dollars. The
strengthening of currencies in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan against the
dollar in 1999 caused unit labor costs in these countries to rise when
expressed in U.S. dollars, while decreasing in terms of their own
currencies. The increases were 12.6 percent in Korea, 10.8 percent in
Japan, and 1.2 percent in Taiwan. (See table B.)
Unit labor costs expressed in U.S. dollars declined in 1999 in
Belgium (-3.8 percent), Germany (-3.7 percent), Italy (-3.4 percent),
and the Netherlands (-3.3 percent), while increasing in terms of their
national currencies. (See table B.)
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Table B. Output per hour, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and related measures
Manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1979-99
Average annual rates of change 1/
Country 1979-99 1979-85 1985-90 1990-99 1996 1997 1998 1999
or area
Output per hour
United States 3.3 3.5 2.4 3.8 2.8 3.6 4.6 6.6
Canada 2.1 3.3 0.7 2.1 -1.3 3.0 -0.3 2.4
Japan 3.6 3.5 4.3 3.2 4.6 4.2 0.2 3.8
Korea NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Taiwan NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Belgium 3.8 6.0 2.2 3.2 3.4 8.3 1.6 0.1
Denmark NA 2.1 0.5 NA NA NA NA NA
France 3.4 3.0 3.4 3.6 0.5 6.6 1.1 4.0
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA 2.1 4.9 0.0 1.2
Italy 3.0 4.6 2.3 2.2 0.2 1.9 -0.4 1.7
Netherlands 3.1 4.4 2.1 2.9 1.7 1.8 2.2 2.2
Norway 1.4 2.4 1.4 0.8 0.1 0.9 0.9 0.0
Sweden 3.4 3.1 1.9 4.5 2.1 6.8 2.8 3.0
United Kingdom 3.2 4.1 4.1 2.2 -1.9 0.7 -0.1 4.5
Output
United States 2.9 2.2 2.5 3.7 2.4 5.4 4.3 5.7
Canada 2.4 1.8 2.0 3.0 1.4 6.9 3.9 6.2
Japan 2.8 4.7 4.8 0.4 4.2 3.4 -5.9 0.8
Korea 8.9 8.3 12.2 7.5 6.8 6.6 -7.4 21.8
Taiwan 6.5 8.2 7.0 5.2 4.8 6.7 3.3 6.7
Belgium 2.2 2.6 2.5 1.7 2.4 6.7 2.2 1.2
Denmark 1.2 2.9 -0.2 0.9 -4.3 2.6 2.5 -3.3
France 1.2 -0.4 2.6 1.6 -0.3 4.9 1.6 2.5
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA -2.9 3.4 1.5 0.4
Italy 1.9 1.4 3.6 1.2 -1.4 2.5 1.8 1.0
Netherlands 2.2 1.8 3.1 1.9 0.5 2.6 3.3 3.1
Norway 0.4 0.6 -1.6 1.4 1.1 5.1 1.6 -3.0
Sweden 2.6 2.2 1.4 3.5 2.1 5.8 4.3 4.2
United Kingdom 0.7 -1.2 3.4 0.5 0.4 1.3 0.5 0.0
Continued on next page
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Table B. Output per hour, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and related measures
Manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1979-99
Average annual rates of change 1/
Country 1979-99 1979-85 1985-90 1990-99 1996 1997 1998 1999
or area
Total hours
United States -0.4 -1.2 0.0 -0.1 -0.3 1.7 -0.3 -0.8
Canada 0.3 -1.5 1.3 0.9 2.8 3.8 4.2 3.8
Japan -0.8 1.1 0.5 -2.7 -0.4 -0.8 -6.1 -2.9
Korea NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Taiwan NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Belgium -1.5 -3.2 0.4 -1.5 -1.0 -1.5 0.6 1.1
Denmark NA 0.8 -0.6 NA NA NA NA NA
France -2.1 -3.3 -0.8 -2.0 -0.7 -1.6 0.5 -1.4
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA -4.9 -1.5 1.4 -0.8
Italy -1.0 -3.0 1.3 -1.0 -1.6 0.7 2.3 -0.7
Netherlands -1.0 -2.5 1.0 -1.0 -1.2 0.8 1.1 0.8
Norway -1.0 -1.8 -2.9 0.6 1.0 4.1 0.8 -3.0
Sweden -0.8 -0.8 -0.5 -0.9 0.0 -1.0 1.4 1.2
United Kingdom -2.4 -5.1 -0.6 -1.7 2.4 0.6 0.6 -4.3
Employment
United States -0.6 -1.4 -0.1 -0.3 -0.3 1.0 0.7 -1.6
Canada 0.1 -1.3 1.2 0.5 2.3 2.7 4.8 2.9
Japan -0.2 1.2 0.8 -1.7 -0.9 -0.2 -4.1 -2.7
Korea NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Taiwan NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Belgium -1.6 -2.6 -0.3 -1.6 -1.4 -1.5 0.4 -1.0
Denmark -0.1 1.0 -0.2 -0.9 0.2 -0.8 0.7 -2.1
France -1.7 -2.3 -0.9 -1.8 -0.9 -2.1 0.2 0.2
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA -2.7 -1.5 0.4 -0.4
Italy -1.2 -2.9 0.3 -0.8 -0.8 0.3 2.5 -0.3
Netherlands -0.8 -2.2 1.2 -0.9 -1.1 1.2 1.3 0.8
Norway -0.9 -1.8 -2.7 0.6 1.6 4.3 0.6 -2.6
Sweden -1.5 -1.2 -0.8 -2.0 -0.3 -1.1 1.2 1.0
United Kingdom -2.4 -4.8 -0.8 -1.7 1.8 0.6 0.7 -3.7
Continued on next page
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Table B. Output per hour, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and related measures
Manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1979-99
Average annual rates of change 1/
Country 1979-99 1979-85 1985-90 1990-99 1996 1997 1998 1999
or area
Average hours
United States 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.7 -1.0 0.8
Canada 0.1 -0.2 0.1 0.3 0.5 1.1 -0.6 0.9
Japan -0.5 0.0 -0.3 -1.0 0.6 -0.6 -2.1 -0.2
Korea NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Taiwan NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Belgium 0.0 -0.6 0.7 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.2 2.1
Denmark NA -0.3 -0.5 NA NA NA NA NA
France -0.4 -1.0 0.1 -0.2 0.1 0.5 0.3 -1.7
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA -2.3 0.0 1.0 -0.4
Italy 0.1 -0.1 1.0 -0.2 -0.8 0.4 -0.2 -0.4
Netherlands -0.2 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 -0.4 -0.2 0.0
Norway -0.1 0.0 -0.2 0.0 -0.5 -0.2 0.1 -0.4
Sweden 0.7 0.4 0.3 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2
United Kingdom 0.0 -0.3 0.2 0.1 0.6 0.0 -0.1 -0.6
Labor compensation in manufacturing 2/: National currency basis
United States 4.2 5.8 3.9 3.3 1.0 3.7 5.0 3.2
Canada 5.3 7.5 5.6 3.7 1.9 6.9 7.1 5.5
Japan 3.0 5.9 5.1 0.0 0.4 2.6 -3.7 -3.0
Korea 15.1 18.7 19.7 10.4 12.2 -2.2 -9.4 16.5
Taiwan 9.9 15.9 10.7 5.6 4.2 5.0 4.8 4.0
Belgium 3.0 4.7 4.0 1.4 0.6 1.9 2.1 1.5
Denmark 5.0 9.0 4.6 2.6 2.9 3.7 3.3 2.5
France 4.1 9.1 3.6 1.1 0.9 0.9 2.2 2.3
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA -0.3 0.5 2.3 0.9
Italy 7.5 13.0 8.2 3.6 5.0 4.9 0.4 2.1
Netherlands 2.6 2.3 3.1 2.5 1.1 3.4 4.2 4.0
Norway 5.7 8.0 4.7 4.8 5.1 8.7 7.2 2.5
Sweden 6.0 8.9 7.9 3.2 7.3 3.4 5.7 3.7
United Kingdom 5.0 5.9 8.1 2.7 2.5 3.6 4.5 0.0
Continued on next page
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Table B. Output per hour, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and related measures
Manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1979-99
Average annual rates of change 1/
Country 1979-99 1979-85 1985-90 1990-99 1996 1997 1998 1999
or area
Hourly compensation 2/: National currency basis
United States 4.6 7.2 3.9 3.3 1.3 1.9 5.3 4.0
Canada 5.0 9.1 4.2 2.8 -0.9 3.0 2.8 1.7
Japan 3.8 4.7 4.6 2.8 0.8 3.4 2.5 -0.2
Korea NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Taiwan NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Belgium 4.6 8.1 3.7 2.9 1.6 3.4 1.4 0.4
Denmark NA 8.1 5.3 NA NA NA NA NA
France 6.3 12.8 4.5 3.1 1.7 2.5 1.7 3.8
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA 4.8 2.0 0.9 1.7
Italy 8.6 16.6 6.8 4.6 6.7 4.2 -1.9 2.8
Netherlands 3.6 5.0 2.1 3.5 2.3 2.6 3.1 3.1
Norway 6.8 10.0 7.8 4.2 4.1 4.4 6.3 5.7
Sweden 6.9 9.8 8.4 4.2 7.4 4.4 4.2 2.5
United Kingdom 7.6 11.6 8.8 4.4 0.1 2.9 3.9 4.5
Unit labor costs: National currency basis
United States 1.2 3.6 1.4 -0.4 -1.4 -1.6 0.7 -2.4
Canada 2.8 5.6 3.5 0.7 0.4 -0.1 3.1 -0.7
Japan 0.2 1.1 0.3 -0.5 -3.7 -0.8 2.3 -3.8
Korea 5.7 9.6 6.7 2.6 5.1 -8.3 -2.1 -4.3
Taiwan 3.2 7.2 3.5 0.4 -0.5 -1.6 1.4 -2.5
Belgium 0.8 2.0 1.5 -0.3 -1.7 -4.5 -0.2 0.3
Denmark 3.7 5.9 4.8 1.7 7.6 1.1 0.8 6.0
France 2.8 9.5 1.0 -0.5 1.2 -3.9 0.6 -0.1
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA 2.6 -2.8 0.9 0.5
Italy 5.5 11.4 4.4 2.3 6.5 2.3 -1.4 1.1
Netherlands 0.4 0.5 0.0 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.9 0.8
Norway 5.3 7.4 6.4 3.3 4.0 3.5 5.4 5.7
Sweden 3.4 6.5 6.4 -0.3 5.2 -2.3 1.3 -0.5
United Kingdom 4.2 7.2 4.5 2.2 2.1 2.2 4.0 0.0
Continued on next page
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Table B. Output per hour, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and related measures
Manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1979-99
Average annual rates of change 1/
Country 1979-99 1979-85 1985-90 1990-99 1996 1997 1998 1999
or area
Unit labor costs: U.S. dollar basis
United States 1.2 3.6 1.4 -0.4 -1.4 -1.6 0.7 -2.4
Canada 1.6 2.9 6.8 -2.0 1.1 -1.6 -3.8 -0.9
Japan 3.5 -0.3 10.8 2.2 -16.8 -10.8 -5.4 10.8
Korea 1.1 -0.5 10.9 -3.1 0.8 -22.3 -33.5 12.6
Taiwan 3.7 5.4 12.0 -1.6 -4.0 -6.0 -13.0 1.2
Belgium -0.5 -9.3 13.8 -1.7 -6.5 -17.4 -1.5 -3.8
Denmark 2.2 -5.8 16.7 0.3 3.9 -11.3 -0.6 1.6
France 0.9 -3.3 11.7 -1.8 -1.4 -15.8 -0.5 -4.3
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA -2.4 -15.7 -0.6 -3.7
Italy 1.4 -3.0 14.6 -2.3 12.5 -7.4 -3.3 -3.4
Netherlands 0.3 -7.6 12.8 -0.8 -4.3 -12.9 -0.7 -3.3
Norway 3.0 -1.7 13.3 0.8 2.0 -5.7 -1.1 2.3
Sweden 0.0 -5.2 14.7 -3.9 11.9 -14.2 -2.6 -4.4
United Kingdom 2.8 -1.3 11.4 1.1 1.0 7.3 5.2 -2.4
Exchange rates 3/
United States --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Canada -1.2 -2.5 3.2 -2.6 0.6 -1.5 -6.7 -0.1
Japan 3.3 -1.5 10.5 2.7 -13.6 -10.1 -7.6 15.2
Korea -4.4 -9.2 3.9 -5.6 -4.0 -15.3 -32.1 17.7
Taiwan 0.5 -1.7 8.2 -2.0 -3.5 -4.5 -14.2 3.8
Belgium -1.3 -11.1 12.2 -1.4 -4.8 -13.5 -1.4 -4.1
Denmark -1.4 -11.0 11.4 -1.3 -3.5 -12.2 -1.4 -4.1
France -1.8 -11.7 10.5 -1.4 -2.5 -12.4 -1.0 -4.2
Germany (unified) NA NA NA NA -4.8 -13.3 -1.4 -4.2
Italy -3.8 -12.9 9.8 -4.5 5.6 -9.5 -1.9 -4.4
Netherlands -0.2 -8.0 12.7 -1.4 -4.9 -13.6 -1.6 -4.1
Norway -2.1 -8.4 6.6 -2.4 -1.9 -8.8 -6.2 -3.3
Sweden -3.2 -11.0 7.8 -3.6 6.4 -12.2 -3.9 -3.9
United Kingdom -1.4 -7.9 6.6 -1.1 -1.1 4.9 1.2 -2.4
1/ Rates of change based on the compound 3/ Value of foreign currency relative to
rate method. the U.S. dollar.
2/ Adjusted to include employment taxes
that are not compensation to employees NA = Not available.
but are labor costs to employers.
-12-
Trade-weighted unit labor costs
Because the economies covered differ greatly in their relative
importance to U.S. trade in manufactured goods, BLS constructs indexes
of U.S. unit labor cost trends relative to a trade-weighted average of
unit labor cost trends in the other economies. (See chart 3.)
PRINTED COPY CONTAINS CHART AT THIS POINT:
Chart 3. U.S. manufacturing unit labor costs relative to 13
competitors, 1979-99
The construction of the indexes shown in chart 3 is a three-step
process. First, the indexes of unit labor costs for all economies are
rebased to a common year (in this case, 1979=100). Second, for each
year, a "competitors" index is calculated as the weighted geometric
mean of the indexes for all competitor economies; the weights reflect
each country's importance in terms of U.S. trade in manufactured goods.
Finally, the U.S. index number for each year is divided by the
"competitors" index number (and multiplied by 100) to obtain a relative
ratio of the United States to the competitors. This process is used to
calculate the relative trade-weighted unit labor cost indexes on both a
national currency and a U.S. dollar basis.
In chart 3, the solid line indicates that U.S. unit labor costs
rose faster than "competitors" costs from 1979 to 1986 on a U.S. dollar
basis. In most years from 1986 to 1995, U.S. costs either rose at a
slower rate than the "competitors" costs or fell at a faster rate.
From 1995 to 1998, however, the strength of the U.S. dollar caused
relative U.S. unit labor costs to rise; in 1999, the ratio fell
slightly. The data underlying this chart are shown in table C.
-13-
Table C. U.S. manufacturing unit labor
costs relative to 13 competitors, 1979-99
Unit Labor Costs Unit Labor Costs
National Currency Basis U.S. Dollar Basis
Year Own Competitors' Own Competitors'
Index Index Ratio Index Index Ratio
1979 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1980 111.4 111.3 100.1 111.4 109.6 101.6
1981 116.5 120.3 96.9 116.5 109.1 106.8
1982 124.2 128.4 96.7 124.2 105.6 117.7
1983 121.6 130.5 93.2 121.6 104.1 116.7
1984 121.0 131.0 92.3 121.0 98.8 122.5
1985 123.4 132.6 93.0 123.4 96.9 127.4
1986 128.9 138.0 93.4 128.9 121.2 106.3
1987 122.8 140.2 87.6 122.8 139.4 88.1
1988 122.5 141.5 86.6 122.5 151.8 80.7
1989 128.0 144.9 88.3 128.0 151.1 84.7
1990 132.4 150.7 87.8 132.4 162.5 81.5
1991 138.0 157.9 87.4 138.0 172.9 79.8
1992 141.3 162.0 87.3 141.3 180.7 78.2
1993 142.3 163.1 87.2 142.3 177.5 80.1
1994 139.2 160.7 86.6 139.2 177.6 78.4
1995 134.0 161.0 83.2 134.0 188.0 71.3
1996 132.1 161.3 81.9 132.1 178.9 73.8
1997 129.9 159.5 81.4 129.9 163.5 79.5
1998 130.8 162.4 80.5 130.8 154.9 84.5
1999 127.6 160.0 79.8 127.6 158.4 80.6
BOX: Note on European exchange rates for 1999
On Jan. 1, 1999, 11 European countries joined the European Monetary
Union (EMU). Currencies of EMU members are established at fixed
conversion rates to the euro, the official currency of the EMU.
Exchange rates between the national currencies of EMU countries and the
U.S. dollar are no longer reported; only the exchange rate between the
euro and the U.S. dollar is available.
In this news release, 1999 exchange rates in national currencies for
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands are calculated by
taking the number of euros per U.S. dollar and then converting euros
into national currencies at fixed conversion rates.
1 euro equals:
40.3399 Belgian Francs 1936.27 Italian Lire
6.55957 French Francs 2.20371 Netherlands Guilders
1.95583 German Marks
In 1999, 1 euro was equal to 1.0653 U.S. dollars.
END OF BOX (Note on European exchange rates for 1999)
-14-
TECHNICAL NOTES
The Bureau of Labor Statistics constructs trend indexes of
manufacturing labor productivity (output per hour), hourly compensation
costs, and unit labor costs from three basic aggregate measures -
output, total labor hours, and total compensation. The hours and
compensation measures refer to employees (wage and salary earners) in
Korea, Taiwan, Belgium, Denmark, and Italy. For all other countries,
the measures refer to all employed persons, including employees, self-
employed persons, and unpaid family workers. For all of the countries,
the term "hours" refers to hours worked.
In general, the measures relate to total manufacturing as defined by
the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC). However,
the measures for France refer to mining and manufacturing less energy-
related products, and the measures for Denmark include mining and
exclude manufacturing handicrafts from 1960 to 1966.
The comparisons in this news release make use of data made available
to BLS as of March 2001 by the statistical agencies of the individual
countries. For some countries, the data for the most recent years are
based on the European System of Integrated National Accounts (ESA 95)
or on the United Nations revised System of National Accounts (SNA 93).
For other countries, data were compiled according to previously used
systems.
To obtain historical time series, BLS may link together data series
compiled according to different accounting systems.
Output. For most countries, the output measures are value added in
manufacturing from the national accounts. However, output for Japan
prior to 1970 and for the Netherlands prior to 1960 are indexes of
industrial production. The national accounts measures for the United
Kingdom are essentially identical to their indexes of industrial
production.
In this release, manufacturing output data for the United States
from 1977 forward are the gross product originating (value added)
measures prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S.
Department of Commerce. U. S. gross product originating is a chain-
type annual-weighted series. /1 Comparable manufacturing output data
are not available prior to 1977.
The gross product originating series differs from the manufacturing
output series that BLS publishes on quarterly measures of U.S.
productivity and costs. The quarterly measures are on a sectoral
output basis rather than a value added basis. Sectoral output is gross
output less intra-sector sales and transfers. /2
A value added concept has been used for the international
comparisons series because the data are more readily available in the
countries' national accounts, whereas sectoral output would require a
complex estimation procedure. Also, although BLS has determined that
sectoral output is the correct concept for U.S. measures of single
factor productivity (output per hour), there are other considerations
that may make value added a better concept for international
comparisons, such as differences among countries in the extent of
vertical integration.
The historical real output series for many of the other countries
are estimated using fixed price weights, with the weights updated
periodically (for example, every 5 or 10 years).
-15-
Measures of real output also may differ among countries because of
different approaches to estimating the prices of high-technology
products like computers and, in general, of products that undergo rapid
quality change.
Labor Input. The total hours measures are developed from statistics
of manufacturing employment and average hours. The total hours series
used for France (from 1970 forward), Norway, Sweden, and Canada are
series published with the national accounts. Where such series are not
available, the measures are developed by BLS using employment figures
published with the national accounts, or other comprehensive employment
series, and estimates of average annual hours worked. For the former
West Germany after 1959 and Germany from 1991, BLS uses aggregate hours
worked, which were developed by a research institute of the German
Ministry of Labor for use with the national accounts employment
figures; earlier figures are BLS estimates. For the other countries,
and the former West Germany before 1959, BLS constructs its own
estimates of average hours. BLS is in the process of assessing the
comparability of the employment and hours time series data available
from statistical sources in Denmark, Korea, and Taiwan.
Compensation (Labor Cost). The compensation measures are from
national accounts data. Compensation includes employer expenditures
for legally required insurance programs and contractual and private
benefit plans, in addition to all payments made in cash or in-kind
directly to employees. For Canada, France, and Sweden, compensation is
increased to account for important taxes on payroll or employment. For
the United Kingdom, compensation is reduced between 1967 and 1991 to
account for subsidies. When data for the self-employed are not
available, total compensation is estimated by assuming the same hourly
compensation for self-employed and employees. Real compensation for
the U.S. is derived using the Consumer Price Index research series
(CPI-U-RS).
Current Indicators. The measures for recent years may be based on
current indicators of output (such as industrial production indexes),
employment, average hours, and hourly compensation until national
accounts and other statistics, normally used for the long-term
measures, become available.
Trade-Weighted Measures. The trade weights for Canada, Japan, and
the European countries were obtained by re-scaling a series of weights,
developed by the International Monetary Fund, based on average trade
flows over the 1989-91 period. These weights are based on aggregate
trade data for total manufacturing and take account of both bilateral
trade and the relative importance of "third country" markets. The
1989-91 weights do not include Korea and Taiwan. BLS developed weights
for Korea and Taiwan by using data from an earlier study from the
International Monetary Fund and other sources. The weight used for
Germany is based on the trade weight of the former West Germany.
The following weights were used for the entire period for which
trade-weighted unit labor cost measures are produced:
Country Weight Country Weight
Canada 23.94 Netherlands 2.13
Japan 28.91 Norway 0.45
Belgium 2.02 Sweden 1.79
Denmark 0.45 United Kingdom 8.50
France 5.58 Korea 5.43
Germany 10.98 Taiwan 5.48
Italy 4.35
-16-
Level Comparisons. The BLS measures are limited to trend
comparisons. BLS does not prepare level comparisons of manufacturing
productivity and unit labor costs because of data limitations and
technical problems in comparing the levels of manufacturing output
among countries. Each country measures manufacturing output in its own
currency units. To compare outputs among countries, a common unit of
measure is needed. Market exchange rates are not suitable as a basis
for comparing output levels. What is needed are purchasing power
parities, which are the number of foreign currency units required to
buy goods and services equivalent to what can be bought with one unit
of U.S. currency.
Purchasing power parities are available for total gross domestic
product (GDP) from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD). However, these parities are derived for
expenditures made by consumers, business, and government for goods and
services - not for value added by industry. Therefore, they do not
provide purchasing power parities by industry. The parities for total
GDP are not suitable for each component industry, such as
manufacturing.
1/ For more information on the U. S. measure, see Sherlene K.S. Lum,
Brian C. Moyer, and Robert E. Yuskavage, "Improved Estimates of Gross
Product by Industry for 1947-98," Survey of Current Business, June
2000, pp. 24-38.
2/ For information on sectoral output, see William Gullickson,
"Measurement of productivity growth in U.S. manufacturing," Monthly
Labor Review, July 1995, pp. 13-28.
- 17 -
Table 1. Output per hour in manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 NA 26.6 NA NA NA NA 22.6 13.2 NA 13.2 11.5 11.3 24.7 19.5 25.5
1955 NA 32.7 8.6 NA NA NA 24.6 16.6 NA 19.7 16.1 14.4 28.7 21.3 27.5
1960 NA 38.7 13.8 NA NA 18.0 29.9 21.8 NA 29.2 20.2 18.6 37.0 27.3 31.1
1961 NA 40.8 15.6 NA NA 18.2 31.6 23.1 NA 30.6 21.8 19.6 38.3 28.7 31.2
1962 NA 44.3 16.4 NA NA 19.2 33.2 24.7 NA 32.8 24.1 20.4 38.3 30.9 31.9
1963 NA 46.2 17.7 NA NA 19.9 34.3 26.0 NA 34.1 24.8 21.2 40.3 32.7 33.6
1964 NA 48.2 20.1 NA NA 21.2 37.1 28.0 NA 37.1 25.0 23.1 42.6 35.5 35.8
1965 NA 50.3 21.0 NA NA 22.3 38.9 30.0 NA 39.3 27.9 24.7 45.1 38.2 36.8
1966 NA 51.0 23.0 NA NA 23.8 40.8 32.5 NA 40.9 30.3 26.3 47.0 39.8 38.1
1967 NA 51.5 26.0 NA NA 25.1 43.8 34.5 NA 43.4 31.8 28.3 48.7 43.2 39.8
1968 NA 54.5 29.1 NA NA 27.3 47.8 38.1 NA 47.0 34.3 31.8 51.7 47.2 42.7
1969 NA 57.4 33.4 NA NA 29.9 49.8 40.5 NA 50.4 35.6 34.9 56.5 50.9 43.7
1970 NA 56.6 37.5 NA NA 32.9 52.7 43.0 NA 52.0 37.9 38.1 58.3 52.2 44.7
1971 NA 60.0 39.8 NA NA 35.1 56.3 45.5 NA 54.0 38.5 40.4 60.0 54.5 46.8
1972 NA 62.7 43.6 NA NA 39.2 60.8 47.5 NA 57.4 41.7 43.6 63.1 57.2 49.4
1973 NA 66.2 47.6 NA NA 43.5 66.9 50.9 NA 61.1 45.2 48.3 66.9 61.4 53.0
1974 NA 67.2 48.8 NA NA 45.8 69.1 52.0 NA 63.2 48.1 51.9 69.5 64.0 53.9
1975 NA 64.7 50.2 NA NA 47.6 76.1 53.8 NA 65.9 46.5 51.2 68.8 65.0 52.8
1976 NA 70.3 53.2 NA NA 52.4 78.8 57.1 NA 70.6 52.9 56.8 70.5 66.0 55.0
1977 68.3 74.9 55.3 NA NA 55.0 80.4 60.5 NA 72.7 54.0 61.4 71.5 65.0 55.5
1978 69.2 76.7 57.5 NA NA 58.3 81.6 63.2 NA 75.2 57.5 65.4 72.8 66.8 56.3
1979 70.1 75.9 62.2 NA NA 61.4 85.6 66.2 NA 78.4 63.0 68.6 78.1 72.0 56.7
1980 70.5 75.1 63.2 NA NA 65.4 90.3 66.5 NA 77.2 65.9 69.2 76.7 73.1 56.1
1981 74.1 77.8 65.2 NA NA 70.1 91.8 68.5 NA 78.7 67.4 70.8 76.5 72.7 59.0
1982 76.2 77.3 67.9 NA NA 73.5 92.1 73.3 NA 78.8 68.6 72.1 79.7 75.4 62.2
1983 80.0 82.4 68.8 NA NA 81.0 96.6 75.0 NA 82.6 71.8 77.8 82.4 80.9 67.1
1984 83.2 90.2 71.1 NA NA 85.0 96.1 76.1 NA 85.4 78.4 85.4 87.4 85.2 70.7
1985 86.0 92.4 76.5 NA NA 87.0 96.7 79.1 NA 89.1 82.6 89.0 90.2 86.2 72.3
1986 86.0 90.0 76.1 NA NA 87.8 91.1 80.4 NA 89.6 83.8 90.8 89.0 87.5 74.8
1987 92.9 90.6 80.2 NA NA 88.9 90.6 81.8 NA 88.1 85.7 91.6 93.3 89.2 79.4
1988 96.9 90.9 83.9 NA NA 92.0 94.1 87.5 NA 91.5 86.7 93.7 92.2 90.5 82.3
1989 95.7 93.7 88.5 NA NA 96.9 99.6 91.9 NA 94.6 89.4 97.1 94.6 93.2 86.1
1990 96.9 95.7 94.4 NA NA 96.8 99.1 93.5 NA 99.0 92.5 98.6 96.6 94.6 88.3
1991 97.9 95.3 99.0 NA NA 99.1 99.6 96.9 99.0 101.9 95.2 99.6 97.5 95.5 92.1
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 102.1 104.5 101.7 NA NA 102.5 104.5 100.6 101.8 100.6 102.9 101.4 100.6 107.3 104.0
1994 107.3 109.9 103.3 NA NA 108.4 NA 108.5 109.9 107.9 105.6 112.7 101.4 119.4 106.8
1995 113.8 111.0 111.0 NA NA 113.2 NA 114.5 112.8 111.2 109.3 117.7 102.0 121.9 104.3
1996 117.0 109.5 116.1 NA NA 117.1 NA 115.0 115.3 115.1 109.5 119.7 102.0 124.5 102.3
1997 121.2 112.8 121.0 NA NA 126.8 NA 122.6 121.0 121.8 111.5 121.9 103.0 132.9 103.0
1998 126.8 112.5 121.2 NA NA 128.8 NA 124.0 121.0 127.1 111.1 124.6 103.9 136.7 102.9
1999 135.1 115.2 125.8 NA NA 128.9 NA 128.9 122.4 NA 112.9 127.3 103.9 140.8 107.5
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 18 -
Table 2. Output per employed person in manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 NA 29.0 NA NA NA NA 31.8 16.2 NA 19.2 12.7 14.7 32.3 25.7 29.6
1955 NA 34.3 10.3 NA NA NA 34.0 20.2 NA 28.8 18.2 18.9 37.7 28.0 32.4
1960 NA 40.3 17.1 NA NA 22.6 39.2 26.5 NA 38.4 23.0 24.5 46.7 33.8 35.9
1961 NA 42.3 19.1 NA NA 22.9 40.2 28.3 NA 39.6 24.6 24.8 47.6 35.1 35.5
1962 NA 46.2 19.6 NA NA 24.1 42.6 30.0 NA 41.3 26.4 25.6 47.4 37.4 35.9
1963 NA 48.4 21.0 NA NA 25.0 43.3 31.7 NA 42.4 27.3 26.5 49.7 39.2 37.8
1964 NA 50.7 23.7 NA NA 26.5 47.2 33.9 NA 46.1 27.6 28.7 52.8 42.0 40.6
1965 NA 52.9 24.3 NA NA 27.4 49.5 35.9 NA 48.7 29.7 30.5 54.7 44.7 41.2
1966 NA 53.2 26.8 NA NA 29.1 51.0 39.1 NA 50.0 32.6 32.4 57.1 46.5 41.8
1967 NA 53.8 30.4 NA NA 30.3 54.1 41.1 NA 51.7 34.7 34.7 58.6 49.6 43.5
1968 NA 56.8 33.9 NA NA 33.0 57.7 44.1 NA 56.6 37.4 38.2 60.7 53.0 47.0
1969 NA 59.6 38.3 NA NA 35.7 59.3 48.1 NA 60.7 38.5 41.4 64.9 56.0 48.1
1970 NA 58.3 42.6 NA NA 38.3 60.8 50.3 NA 62.4 40.3 44.4 66.3 57.1 48.4
1971 NA 61.7 44.5 NA NA 40.2 64.6 52.8 NA 63.4 39.8 46.5 67.6 59.4 49.5
1972 NA 64.5 48.5 NA NA 43.9 68.4 54.7 NA 66.6 42.9 49.5 70.0 60.7 51.8
1973 NA 67.6 52.4 NA NA 47.6 71.2 57.6 NA 70.4 47.0 53.8 73.9 64.0 56.3
1974 NA 68.1 51.5 NA NA 48.7 75.0 58.1 NA 71.4 48.2 56.0 75.6 65.9 55.3
1975 NA 64.8 51.8 NA NA 48.0 79.9 58.4 NA 72.5 45.8 54.2 74.5 65.5 54.0
1976 NA 70.5 56.5 NA NA 53.8 83.2 62.1 NA 79.9 52.1 60.0 74.2 65.7 56.8
1977 67.1 75.1 58.9 NA NA 56.1 84.1 65.2 NA 81.1 52.9 64.6 74.1 64.1 57.7
1978 67.9 77.5 61.5 NA NA 59.4 84.3 67.6 NA 82.8 56.2 68.2 73.9 64.2 58.3
1979 68.4 76.3 67.0 NA NA 62.6 88.4 70.6 NA 86.0 61.1 70.7 78.0 68.1 58.5
1980 67.9 74.7 68.0 NA NA 65.6 93.9 71.0 NA 83.5 64.1 71.8 77.1 68.4 55.9
1981 71.4 76.8 69.7 NA NA 68.7 94.3 72.1 NA 84.1 65.6 73.8 76.9 68.5 58.0
1982 72.1 75.6 72.3 NA NA 73.7 96.0 74.0 NA 83.7 66.6 75.9 79.4 71.5 61.7
1983 77.8 81.7 73.4 NA NA 79.2 102.1 75.4 NA 87.9 69.7 82.1 82.5 77.8 66.7
1984 82.0 89.3 76.6 NA NA 82.5 101.2 76.7 NA 90.9 76.1 88.8 87.4 83.5 70.9
1985 84.9 92.0 82.1 NA NA 85.7 98.4 79.2 NA 93.1 79.5 90.2 89.8 83.6 73.2
1986 84.8 90.0 81.2 NA NA 86.5 94.9 80.6 NA 93.0 82.6 91.5 88.7 84.5 75.9
1987 92.1 91.4 86.0 NA NA 88.4 92.2 82.6 NA 91.3 86.1 91.9 90.7 87.3 80.1
1988 96.9 93.6 90.9 NA NA 93.0 95.8 88.6 NA 94.4 90.1 94.7 90.3 88.1 85.0
1989 95.7 94.3 94.8 NA NA 97.5 100.2 92.9 NA 96.2 92.7 97.6 93.3 90.6 88.1
1990 96.3 95.9 99.7 NA NA 98.5 98.4 94.1 NA 98.8 93.6 99.1 95.1 93.1 90.1
1991 96.6 95.1 102.2 NA NA 99.2 99.3 96.4 94.7 101.0 95.3 99.8 96.4 94.2 93.1
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 103.4 105.6 99.6 NA NA 100.9 103.6 100.5 99.4 97.6 100.9 101.4 100.9 110.2 103.8
1994 109.7 112.2 101.4 NA NA 109.7 114.0 108.5 107.9 104.7 106.4 112.7 102.0 127.5 108.1
1995 115.6 112.7 109.7 NA NA 113.3 116.9 113.9 110.6 107.3 110.2 118.1 101.6 131.5 107.1
1996 118.7 111.8 115.4 NA NA 117.6 111.6 114.5 110.4 109.3 109.5 120.0 101.1 134.5 105.6
1997 123.9 116.4 119.6 NA NA 127.5 115.4 122.7 115.9 116.0 112.0 121.6 101.9 143.8 106.4
1998 128.2 115.3 117.3 NA NA 129.8 117.4 124.5 117.1 122.3 111.3 124.1 102.9 148.2 106.2
1999 137.8 119.1 121.5 NA NA 132.7 115.9 127.2 118.0 NA 112.7 126.8 102.5 153.0 110.3
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 19 -
Table 3. Output in manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 NA 22.6 2.2 NA NA NA 26.8 18.4 NA 14.5 9.6 16.8 38.5 30.9 49.8
1955 NA 29.2 4.9 NA NA NA 29.4 22.9 NA 27.5 14.9 23.0 47.2 35.7 58.5
1960 NA 34.2 10.7 NA NA 30.7 40.8 31.0 NA 41.5 21.9 31.7 57.0 45.9 67.7
1961 NA 35.6 12.9 NA NA 32.1 43.0 33.3 NA 44.0 24.2 32.8 59.4 49.0 67.8
1962 NA 40.0 14.0 NA NA 34.6 46.7 35.7 NA 46.2 26.8 34.5 59.8 52.8 68.0
1963 NA 42.8 15.6 NA NA 36.2 47.3 38.4 NA 47.1 28.5 35.9 63.4 55.4 70.4
1964 NA 46.9 18.1 NA NA 39.5 52.9 42.0 NA 51.2 28.9 39.3 67.9 60.3 76.8
1965 NA 51.2 18.8 NA NA 40.8 56.3 44.1 NA 55.0 30.4 42.1 71.5 64.5 79.0
1966 NA 54.5 21.3 NA NA 43.2 57.5 48.1 NA 55.9 33.1 44.3 75.8 66.3 80.4
1967 NA 55.6 25.6 NA NA 43.7 58.1 50.4 NA 54.7 36.4 46.1 78.2 68.5 80.9
1968 NA 58.9 29.5 NA NA 46.7 62.6 53.2 NA 60.3 39.8 50.4 80.1 72.0 86.6
1969 NA 63.0 34.4 NA NA 52.2 66.0 59.6 NA 67.4 42.4 55.3 86.0 77.7 89.9
1970 NA 60.6 39.2 7.0 12.7 57.6 68.0 64.1 NA 70.9 45.8 59.5 89.9 80.7 90.3
1971 NA 64.4 41.0 8.3 15.5 60.1 69.4 68.1 NA 71.6 46.4 61.5 92.3 81.2 89.3
1972 NA 69.5 44.7 9.5 18.9 64.7 75.3 71.3 NA 73.8 49.0 63.2 96.5 81.7 91.2
1973 NA 76.0 50.4 12.3 22.3 70.6 79.5 76.7 NA 78.5 55.3 67.7 102.0 87.5 99.6
1974 NA 77.6 49.1 14.3 21.0 73.4 80.7 78.2 NA 77.7 58.9 70.2 105.6 92.2 98.3
1975 NA 71.8 46.6 16.2 22.0 67.9 78.7 76.6 NA 74.1 55.5 65.6 103.2 92.5 91.6
1976 NA 78.1 50.6 19.9 27.0 73.0 82.5 81.1 NA 79.8 63.8 69.6 102.8 92.5 93.3
1977 72.5 81.5 52.2 22.8 30.6 73.3 82.9 84.8 NA 81.3 66.0 73.1 102.7 87.2 95.1
1978 76.5 86.5 53.7 27.5 37.1 74.3 82.7 86.8 NA 82.8 69.2 75.4 100.6 84.9 95.6
1979 79.0 88.3 58.4 30.1 40.0 76.2 87.4 89.3 NA 87.1 76.4 77.3 104.7 90.3 95.4
1980 75.8 86.0 60.4 29.9 44.0 78.2 91.3 88.7 NA 85.3 80.4 77.4 103.6 90.7 87.2
1981 79.2 88.1 62.6 32.7 47.3 77.2 88.4 87.3 NA 84.4 78.8 77.5 101.7 88.0 81.8
1982 74.6 78.8 64.6 34.6 48.5 80.4 89.8 88.2 NA 81.5 77.5 76.7 101.3 88.3 81.7
1983 79.2 83.0 66.6 39.5 54.1 84.6 95.8 88.0 NA 82.7 77.8 79.1 99.9 93.9 83.4
1984 87.6 93.3 71.0 46.0 62.2 87.2 100.3 87.0 NA 85.2 80.9 83.6 104.7 101.3 86.5
1985 90.0 98.3 76.7 48.8 64.3 89.1 103.5 87.3 NA 88.3 83.3 86.1 108.5 102.9 89.0
1986 88.6 99.4 75.5 57.9 74.7 89.1 103.5 87.3 NA 89.7 85.5 88.3 108.1 104.0 90.1
1987 96.4 103.9 79.0 68.5 84.3 88.8 99.3 87.2 NA 88.0 88.7 89.5 110.7 106.6 94.4
1988 103.2 110.1 85.3 76.7 87.7 93.3 100.8 92.2 NA 90.9 94.5 92.8 105.3 109.8 101.4
1989 102.4 112.6 90.9 79.4 90.8 99.1 104.3 97.2 NA 94.0 98.1 96.9 101.3 110.9 105.4
1990 101.6 108.6 97.1 86.7 90.0 101.0 102.7 99.1 NA 99.1 99.6 100.1 100.2 110.1 105.3
1991 98.3 99.0 102.0 95.0 96.1 100.7 101.7 99.8 102.3 102.8 99.2 100.6 98.3 104.1 100.0
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 103.5 104.6 96.3 105.4 102.4 97.0 99.0 95.7 92.5 91.8 96.4 98.2 102.7 101.9 101.4
1994 111.1 113.2 94.9 116.8 108.5 101.4 109.3 100.3 95.2 93.5 102.2 104.2 106.7 117.1 106.1
1995 118.4 118.1 98.9 129.9 114.9 104.2 114.7 104.9 95.3 93.7 107.2 107.8 109.0 128.4 107.8
1996 121.3 119.8 103.0 138.7 120.3 106.6 109.7 104.6 92.6 92.5 105.6 108.4 110.1 131.1 108.2
1997 127.9 128.1 106.5 147.8 128.3 113.8 112.6 109.7 95.7 95.8 108.3 111.2 115.7 138.6 109.6
1998 133.3 133.1 100.2 136.8 132.6 116.3 115.3 111.5 97.1 100.7 110.3 114.9 117.6 144.6 110.1
1999 141.0 141.3 101.0 166.7 141.5 117.7 111.5 114.2 97.5 NA 111.4 118.4 114.0 150.7 110.1
NA: Not Available
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 20 -
Table 4. Total hours in manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 85.5 84.7 NA NA NA NA 118.7 140.0 NA 109.8 83.6 148.6 156.1 158.5 195.7
1955 94.6 89.4 57.0 NA NA NA 119.8 138.0 NA 139.6 92.5 159.1 164.2 167.3 213.2
1960 92.1 88.3 77.8 NA NA 170.7 136.5 142.3 NA 142.3 108.7 170.6 154.1 168.3 217.4
1961 89.7 87.1 82.4 NA NA 175.9 136.2 143.8 NA 143.9 110.9 167.1 154.9 171.0 217.5
1962 93.4 90.3 85.2 NA NA 180.3 140.7 144.8 NA 140.8 110.8 169.2 156.3 170.8 213.3
1963 94.4 92.6 87.9 NA NA 181.8 138.0 148.0 NA 138.1 114.9 169.5 157.3 169.1 209.7
1964 96.4 97.2 90.0 NA NA 186.5 142.6 149.7 NA 138.0 115.2 170.0 159.6 169.6 214.7
1965 102.0 101.9 89.8 NA NA 183.2 144.9 146.9 NA 140.0 108.8 170.4 158.5 168.8 214.4
1966 108.6 106.8 92.8 NA NA 181.5 140.8 148.3 NA 136.7 109.4 168.3 161.2 166.5 211.2
1967 108.0 107.9 98.3 NA NA 173.6 132.7 146.2 NA 125.9 114.5 162.7 160.5 158.4 203.1
1968 109.6 108.2 101.4 NA NA 170.9 130.9 139.7 NA 128.3 116.0 158.8 155.0 152.6 202.9
1969 110.9 109.7 103.0 NA NA 174.9 132.7 147.1 NA 133.8 119.2 158.5 152.1 152.5 205.6
1970 104.4 107.1 104.4 NA NA 174.7 129.0 149.0 NA 136.3 120.9 156.2 154.3 154.7 202.1
1971 100.5 107.4 103.1 NA NA 171.4 123.3 149.7 NA 132.5 120.6 152.4 153.8 149.1 190.6
1972 105.1 110.8 102.6 NA NA 165.2 123.8 149.9 NA 128.7 117.5 144.9 153.0 142.9 184.4
1973 110.4 114.9 106.0 NA NA 162.1 118.8 150.7 NA 128.4 122.4 140.2 152.5 142.5 187.9
1974 107.9 115.5 100.6 NA NA 160.4 116.7 150.3 NA 122.9 122.4 135.4 151.9 144.0 182.5
1975 97.2 111.1 92.8 NA NA 142.6 103.5 142.3 NA 112.5 119.3 128.2 150.0 142.3 173.6
1976 101.9 111.0 95.1 NA NA 139.4 104.7 141.9 NA 113.1 120.5 122.7 145.8 140.2 169.5
1977 106.1 108.8 94.4 NA NA 133.3 103.1 140.1 NA 111.8 122.2 119.1 143.6 134.2 171.2
1978 110.6 112.8 93.4 NA NA 127.4 101.4 137.3 NA 110.1 120.4 115.2 138.3 127.1 169.8
1979 112.7 116.2 93.8 NA NA 124.2 102.1 134.9 NA 111.0 121.4 112.7 134.0 125.5 168.2
1980 107.5 114.6 95.6 NA NA 119.7 101.1 133.3 NA 110.5 122.0 111.8 135.0 124.0 155.3
1981 107.0 113.2 95.9 NA NA 110.2 96.3 127.4 NA 107.1 116.8 109.4 133.0 121.0 138.7
1982 97.9 102.0 95.1 NA NA 109.4 97.5 120.3 NA 103.4 113.0 106.3 127.1 117.2 131.3
1983 98.9 100.7 96.8 NA NA 104.3 99.2 117.4 NA 100.1 108.4 101.6 121.2 116.1 124.3
1984 105.3 103.3 99.8 NA NA 102.6 104.4 114.2 NA 99.7 103.2 97.9 119.7 118.9 122.4
1985 104.6 106.4 100.3 NA NA 102.4 107.0 110.4 NA 99.1 100.8 96.7 120.2 119.4 123.1
1986 103.0 110.5 99.2 NA NA 101.5 113.7 108.6 NA 100.1 102.1 97.3 121.6 118.9 120.5
1987 103.8 114.7 98.5 NA NA 100.0 109.6 106.6 NA 99.9 103.5 97.7 118.6 119.5 118.9
1988 106.6 121.2 101.7 NA NA 101.5 107.2 105.4 NA 99.3 108.9 99.0 114.3 121.4 123.2
1989 107.1 120.2 102.7 NA NA 102.3 104.7 105.8 NA 99.3 109.7 99.8 107.1 119.0 122.4
1990 104.8 113.5 102.9 NA NA 104.3 103.7 105.9 NA 100.1 107.7 101.5 103.7 116.4 119.3
1991 100.4 103.9 103.1 NA NA 101.5 102.1 103.0 103.3 100.9 104.2 101.0 100.8 109.0 108.6
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 101.4 100.1 94.7 NA NA 94.7 94.8 95.1 90.8 91.3 93.6 96.9 102.1 94.9 97.5
1994 103.6 103.0 91.9 NA NA 93.6 NA 92.4 86.6 86.7 96.7 92.4 105.2 98.1 99.4
1995 104.0 106.4 89.1 NA NA 92.0 NA 91.6 84.5 84.3 98.0 91.6 106.8 105.3 103.3
1996 103.7 109.4 88.7 NA NA 91.1 NA 91.0 80.3 80.4 96.5 90.5 107.9 105.3 105.8
1997 105.5 113.5 88.0 NA NA 89.7 NA 89.5 79.1 78.6 97.1 91.2 112.3 104.3 106.4
1998 105.2 118.3 82.7 NA NA 90.3 NA 89.9 80.2 79.3 99.3 92.2 113.2 105.8 107.0
1999 104.3 122.7 80.3 NA NA 91.3 NA 88.6 79.6 NA 98.6 93.0 109.8 107.1 102.5
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 21 -
Table 5. Employment in manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 84.3 77.9 NA NA NA NA 84.4 113.7 NA 75.2 75.8 114.1 119.2 120.1 168.3
1955 93.1 85.3 47.8 NA NA NA 86.7 113.3 NA 95.5 81.9 121.8 125.1 127.7 181.0
1960 92.6 84.8 62.8 NA NA 135.7 104.1 116.9 NA 108.1 95.1 129.4 122.2 135.7 188.4
1961 90.0 84.1 67.5 NA NA 140.1 107.0 117.7 NA 111.3 98.1 132.2 124.7 139.6 191.0
1962 92.8 86.5 71.3 NA NA 143.3 109.7 118.9 NA 111.8 101.2 134.7 126.2 140.9 189.2
1963 93.5 88.5 74.1 NA NA 144.7 109.3 121.5 NA 111.0 104.4 135.4 127.7 141.4 186.2
1964 94.9 92.5 76.4 NA NA 148.8 112.0 123.7 NA 111.0 104.7 137.1 128.7 143.4 189.1
1965 99.3 96.9 77.4 NA NA 148.7 113.9 122.5 NA 113.0 102.3 137.9 130.8 144.4 191.6
1966 105.4 102.4 79.7 NA NA 148.5 112.8 123.2 NA 111.8 101.7 137.0 132.7 142.7 192.1
1967 106.7 103.3 84.3 NA NA 143.9 107.5 122.7 NA 105.8 105.0 132.9 133.4 138.2 186.2
1968 108.5 103.8 87.2 NA NA 141.5 108.5 120.6 NA 106.6 106.4 132.1 132.0 136.0 184.4
1969 110.6 105.7 89.7 NA NA 146.3 111.4 124.1 NA 111.0 110.0 133.7 132.5 138.7 186.9
1970 106.3 103.9 91.9 NA NA 150.2 111.9 127.3 NA 113.6 113.6 134.3 135.5 141.2 186.6
1971 102.2 104.4 92.3 NA NA 149.6 107.3 128.9 NA 112.9 116.7 132.2 136.4 136.7 180.3
1972 105.0 107.7 92.3 NA NA 147.4 110.1 130.4 NA 110.8 114.4 127.5 137.8 134.6 176.0
1973 110.5 112.5 96.2 NA NA 148.4 111.6 133.2 NA 111.5 117.8 125.8 138.1 136.8 177.0
1974 110.1 113.9 95.3 NA NA 150.7 107.6 134.6 NA 108.9 122.1 125.4 139.6 140.0 177.7
1975 100.6 110.9 90.0 NA NA 141.5 98.5 131.2 NA 102.2 121.1 121.0 138.6 141.3 169.6
1976 104.2 110.7 89.5 NA NA 135.8 99.2 130.5 NA 99.9 122.3 116.0 138.4 141.0 164.2
1977 108.2 108.5 88.6 NA NA 130.5 98.5 130.0 NA 100.3 124.7 113.1 138.6 136.0 164.7
1978 112.7 111.7 87.4 NA NA 125.0 98.0 128.4 NA 100.0 123.1 110.5 136.1 132.3 164.0
1979 115.6 115.7 87.2 NA NA 121.8 98.8 126.5 NA 101.2 125.0 109.3 134.2 132.7 163.1
1980 111.6 115.1 88.9 NA NA 119.3 97.2 125.0 NA 102.2 125.4 107.8 134.5 132.6 155.8
1981 111.0 114.8 89.8 NA NA 112.4 93.8 121.0 NA 100.3 120.1 105.0 132.3 128.4 141.1
1982 103.5 104.3 89.3 NA NA 109.2 93.6 119.1 NA 97.4 116.4 101.0 127.5 123.4 132.4
1983 101.8 101.6 90.8 NA NA 106.8 93.9 116.7 NA 94.1 111.7 96.4 121.0 120.7 125.0
1984 106.8 104.4 92.7 NA NA 105.7 99.1 113.4 NA 93.7 106.3 94.2 119.8 121.3 122.1
1985 106.0 106.8 93.5 NA NA 104.0 105.2 110.3 NA 94.9 104.8 95.4 120.7 123.1 121.6
1986 104.5 110.4 93.0 NA NA 103.0 109.1 108.3 NA 96.4 103.5 96.5 122.0 123.1 118.8
1987 104.7 113.7 91.9 NA NA 100.5 107.7 105.6 NA 96.4 103.0 97.4 122.0 122.1 117.8
1988 106.6 117.6 93.9 NA NA 100.4 105.3 104.1 NA 96.3 104.8 98.0 116.6 124.6 119.2
1989 107.0 119.4 95.9 NA NA 101.7 104.1 104.7 NA 97.6 105.8 99.3 108.7 122.5 119.6
1990 105.4 113.2 97.5 NA NA 102.5 104.3 105.4 NA 100.3 106.4 101.1 105.4 118.3 116.8
1991 101.8 104.1 99.8 NA NA 101.5 102.4 103.6 108.0 101.8 104.1 100.7 101.9 110.5 107.4
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 100.1 99.1 96.8 NA NA 96.1 95.5 95.2 93.0 94.0 95.5 96.9 101.8 92.4 97.6
1994 101.3 100.9 93.6 NA NA 92.5 95.8 92.4 88.2 89.3 96.0 92.4 104.7 91.8 98.2
1995 102.5 104.8 90.1 NA NA 91.9 98.1 92.1 86.2 87.3 97.2 91.3 107.2 97.7 100.6
1996 102.2 107.2 89.3 NA NA 90.6 98.3 91.3 83.8 84.6 96.4 90.3 108.9 97.4 102.4
1997 103.2 110.1 89.1 NA NA 89.2 97.5 89.4 82.6 82.6 96.7 91.4 113.6 96.4 103.0
1998 104.0 115.4 85.5 NA NA 89.6 98.3 89.6 82.9 82.4 99.1 92.6 114.3 97.6 103.7
1999 102.3 118.7 83.2 NA NA 88.7 96.2 89.8 82.6 NA 98.8 93.4 111.3 98.5 99.9
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 22 -
Table 6. Average annual hours in manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 101.4 108.8 NA NA NA NA 140.7 123.1 NA 146.0 110.2 130.3 130.9 131.9 116.3
1955 101.5 104.8 119.3 NA NA NA 138.2 121.8 NA 146.1 113.0 130.6 131.2 131.0 117.8
1960 99.5 104.1 123.9 NA NA 125.8 131.2 121.8 NA 131.7 114.3 131.9 126.1 124.0 115.4
1961 99.6 103.6 122.0 NA NA 125.5 127.3 122.2 NA 129.4 113.1 126.5 124.2 122.5 113.9
1962 100.6 104.4 119.5 NA NA 125.8 128.3 121.8 NA 126.0 109.5 125.6 123.8 121.2 112.7
1963 100.9 104.7 118.6 NA NA 125.7 126.3 121.8 NA 124.4 110.0 125.2 123.2 119.6 112.6
1964 101.6 105.1 117.9 NA NA 125.3 127.4 121.0 NA 124.3 110.0 124.0 124.0 118.2 113.5
1965 102.7 105.1 115.9 NA NA 123.2 127.2 119.9 NA 123.9 106.4 123.6 121.1 116.9 111.9
1966 103.0 104.4 116.5 NA NA 122.2 124.8 120.4 NA 122.3 107.6 122.9 121.5 116.7 110.0
1967 101.2 104.4 116.7 NA NA 120.7 123.4 119.2 NA 119.0 109.1 122.4 120.3 114.7 109.1
1968 101.0 104.2 116.4 NA NA 120.7 120.6 115.9 NA 120.4 109.1 120.2 117.5 112.2 110.0
1969 100.2 103.8 114.8 NA NA 119.5 119.1 118.6 NA 120.6 108.3 118.5 114.7 110.0 110.0
1970 98.2 103.2 113.6 NA NA 116.3 115.3 117.1 NA 119.9 106.4 116.4 113.9 109.5 108.3
1971 98.4 102.8 111.8 NA NA 114.6 114.9 116.1 NA 117.3 103.4 115.3 112.7 109.0 105.8
1972 100.0 102.9 111.1 NA NA 112.0 112.4 115.0 NA 116.2 102.7 113.6 111.0 106.2 104.8
1973 99.9 102.1 110.2 NA NA 109.3 106.4 113.2 NA 115.2 103.9 111.4 110.4 104.2 106.2
1974 98.0 101.4 105.6 NA NA 106.4 108.5 111.7 NA 112.9 100.3 108.0 108.8 102.9 102.7
1975 96.6 100.2 103.2 NA NA 100.7 105.1 108.4 NA 110.1 98.5 106.0 108.2 100.7 102.4
1976 97.7 100.3 106.2 NA NA 102.6 105.6 108.7 NA 113.2 98.5 105.8 105.4 99.5 103.3
1977 98.1 100.2 106.5 NA NA 102.1 104.6 107.8 NA 111.5 98.0 105.3 103.6 98.7 104.0
1978 98.1 101.0 106.9 NA NA 101.9 103.4 106.9 NA 110.1 97.8 104.3 101.6 96.1 103.5
1979 97.5 100.5 107.6 NA NA 102.0 103.3 106.6 NA 109.7 97.1 103.1 99.9 94.6 103.1
1980 96.3 99.5 107.6 NA NA 100.4 104.0 106.7 NA 108.1 97.3 103.7 100.4 93.6 99.7
1981 96.4 98.6 106.8 NA NA 98.1 102.7 105.3 NA 106.8 97.3 104.2 100.6 94.2 98.3
1982 94.6 97.8 106.5 NA NA 100.2 104.2 101.0 NA 106.2 97.1 105.3 99.7 94.9 99.2
1983 97.2 99.1 106.6 NA NA 97.7 105.6 100.6 NA 106.4 97.1 105.4 100.1 96.2 99.5
1984 98.6 99.0 107.7 NA NA 97.1 105.3 100.8 NA 106.4 97.1 104.0 99.9 98.0 100.3
1985 98.7 99.6 107.3 NA NA 98.5 101.8 100.1 NA 104.5 96.2 101.3 99.6 96.9 101.3
1986 98.6 100.0 106.7 NA NA 98.6 104.2 100.3 NA 103.9 98.6 100.8 99.7 96.5 101.4
1987 99.1 100.9 107.2 NA NA 99.4 101.8 100.9 NA 103.6 100.4 100.3 97.2 97.9 100.9
1988 100.0 103.0 108.3 NA NA 101.1 101.8 101.3 NA 103.2 104.0 101.1 98.0 97.5 103.4
1989 100.0 100.7 107.1 NA NA 100.6 100.6 101.1 NA 101.7 103.7 100.5 98.6 97.2 102.3
1990 99.4 100.2 105.6 NA NA 101.8 99.4 100.6 NA 99.8 101.2 100.5 98.4 98.5 102.1
1991 98.7 99.8 103.2 NA NA 100.0 99.7 99.4 95.6 99.1 100.1 100.2 98.9 98.7 101.1
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 101.3 101.1 97.9 NA NA 98.5 99.2 99.9 97.6 97.0 98.0 100.0 100.3 102.8 99.8
1994 102.2 102.0 98.1 NA NA 101.2 NA 100.0 98.2 97.1 100.7 100.0 100.5 106.8 101.3
1995 101.5 101.5 98.8 NA NA 100.1 NA 99.5 98.0 96.5 100.8 100.3 99.6 107.8 102.7
1996 101.5 102.1 99.4 NA NA 100.5 NA 99.6 95.8 95.0 100.0 100.2 99.1 108.1 103.3
1997 102.2 103.2 98.8 NA NA 100.6 NA 100.1 95.8 95.2 100.4 99.8 98.9 108.2 103.3
1998 101.2 102.5 96.7 NA NA 100.8 NA 100.4 96.8 96.2 100.2 99.6 99.1 108.4 103.2
1999 102.0 103.4 96.6 NA NA 102.9 NA 98.7 96.4 NA 99.8 99.6 98.7 108.7 102.6
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 23 -
Table 7. Hourly compensation in manufacturing, national currency basis, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada* Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France* (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden* Kingdom*
1950 8.7 5.4 NA NA NA NA 2.5 1.6 NA 3.4 0.8 3.1 2.2 1.9 1.6
1955 11.7 7.7 3.1 NA NA NA 3.4 2.8 NA 5.0 1.2 4.5 3.4 2.9 2.3
1960 14.9 9.9 4.3 NA NA 5.4 4.6 4.3 NA 8.1 1.6 6.4 4.7 4.1 3.1
1961 15.3 10.2 5.0 NA NA 5.7 5.2 4.7 NA 9.1 1.8 7.3 5.2 4.5 3.3
1962 15.9 10.6 5.7 NA NA 6.2 5.6 5.2 NA 10.3 2.1 7.8 5.7 5.0 3.4
1963 16.4 11.0 6.4 NA NA 6.8 6.1 5.7 NA 11.0 2.5 8.6 6.1 5.5 3.6
1964 17.0 11.5 7.2 NA NA 7.7 6.6 6.2 NA 11.9 2.6 9.9 6.5 6.0 3.8
1965 17.4 12.2 8.1 NA NA 8.5 7.4 6.7 NA 13.1 2.8 11.1 7.2 6.6 4.2
1966 18.2 13.1 8.9 NA NA 9.4 8.4 7.1 NA 14.2 3.0 12.5 7.8 7.3 4.5
1967 19.2 13.7 10.0 NA NA 10.3 9.4 7.6 NA 15.0 3.3 13.8 8.8 8.1 4.7
1968 20.7 14.7 11.6 NA NA 11.0 10.3 8.6 NA 16.1 3.5 15.4 9.6 8.8 5.0
1969 22.2 15.9 13.8 NA NA 12.1 11.6 9.2 NA 17.6 3.9 17.4 10.6 9.6 5.5
1970 23.7 17.0 16.4 NA NA 13.7 13.3 10.3 NA 20.7 4.7 20.2 11.8 10.7 6.3
1971 25.2 18.1 19.0 NA NA 15.9 15.2 11.6 NA 23.2 5.4 23.1 13.5 12.1 7.2
1972 26.5 19.4 21.9 NA NA 18.8 16.9 12.8 NA 25.6 6.1 26.5 15.2 13.5 8.3
1973 28.5 21.1 26.7 NA NA 22.3 20.5 14.7 NA 29.0 7.2 31.6 17.1 15.2 9.5
1974 31.6 24.6 35.0 NA NA 27.4 24.8 17.4 NA 33.0 9.3 37.7 20.1 17.9 11.4
1975 35.5 28.2 40.8 NA NA 33.1 29.6 21.3 NA 36.4 11.8 43.1 24.0 21.9 15.1
1976 38.4 32.4 43.9 NA NA 38.3 33.0 24.4 NA 39.1 14.6 48.1 27.7 25.7 17.6
1977 41.8 36.0 48.5 NA NA 41.4 36.5 27.7 NA 42.8 17.3 52.5 31.1 28.1 19.8
1978 45.2 38.7 51.7 NA NA 44.4 40.2 31.2 NA 45.9 20.0 56.8 34.1 31.1 23.1
1979 49.6 42.6 55.0 NA NA 47.2 45.0 35.4 NA 49.3 24.2 61.1 35.8 33.5 27.5
1980 55.6 47.4 58.5 NA NA 52.5 49.6 40.8 NA 53.6 28.4 64.4 39.0 37.3 33.2
1981 61.1 53.7 62.6 NA NA 57.3 54.6 47.2 NA 57.0 34.3 67.4 43.3 41.2 38.5
1982 67.0 60.9 65.7 NA NA 59.9 59.5 56.1 NA 60.4 40.4 71.5 48.2 44.2 42.4
1983 68.8 65.2 67.5 NA NA 65.7 63.6 61.9 NA 63.1 47.2 74.9 52.9 49.0 45.5
1984 71.2 68.9 69.5 NA NA 71.4 67.2 67.2 NA 66.0 54.1 77.7 57.9 53.2 49.1
1985 75.1 71.8 72.4 NA NA 75.3 71.7 72.8 NA 70.0 60.8 81.8 63.4 58.6 53.1
1986 78.5 72.8 76.0 NA NA 77.3 73.2 75.8 NA 72.8 63.3 85.0 69.1 63.4 57.6
1987 80.7 74.6 77.8 NA NA 79.7 80.1 78.6 NA 76.0 66.8 87.8 78.4 67.6 64.8
1988 84.0 77.4 79.1 NA NA 81.1 82.9 81.6 NA 79.1 69.3 87.7 83.3 71.8 67.7
1989 86.6 82.5 84.0 NA NA 85.9 87.7 86.0 NA 83.2 75.9 88.5 87.2 79.4 72.9
1990 90.8 88.3 90.5 NA NA 90.1 92.7 90.6 NA 89.4 84.4 90.8 92.3 87.8 80.9
1991 95.6 95.0 96.4 NA NA 97.3 95.9 96.2 92.2 95.1 93.6 95.2 97.5 95.5 90.5
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 102.7 102.0 102.8 NA NA 104.8 104.6 103.0 106.4 105.9 107.5 103.7 101.5 97.1 104.3
1994 105.6 103.7 104.9 NA NA 106.1 NA 105.6 112.0 111.7 107.8 108.2 104.4 99.8 106.5
1995 107.9 106.0 108.3 NA NA 109.2 NA 108.4 118.2 117.7 112.8 110.6 109.2 106.3 107.0
1996 109.3 105.1 109.2 NA NA 110.9 NA 110.2 123.8 123.7 120.3 113.2 113.6 114.1 107.1
1997 111.4 108.2 112.9 NA NA 114.7 NA 113.0 126.3 126.6 125.4 116.2 118.7 119.1 110.3
1998 117.3 111.2 115.8 NA NA 116.4 NA 114.9 127.5 127.6 123.0 119.8 126.2 124.1 114.6
1999 122.0 113.0 115.5 NA NA 116.8 NA 119.3 129.6 NA 126.5 123.5 133.4 127.1 119.7
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
* Compensation adjusted to include changes in employment taxes that are not compensation to employees, but are labor
costs to employers.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 24 -
Table 8. Hourly compensation in manufacturing, U.S. dollar basis, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada* Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France* (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden* Kingdom*
1950 8.7 6.0 NA NA NA NA 2.2 2.4 NA 1.3 1.7 1.4 1.9 2.1 2.5
1955 11.7 9.4 1.1 NA NA NA 3.0 4.3 NA 1.9 2.4 2.1 2.9 3.3 3.6
1960 14.9 12.4 1.5 NA NA 3.5 4.0 4.6 NA 3.0 3.2 3.0 4.1 4.6 4.9
1961 15.3 12.2 1.8 NA NA 3.7 4.5 5.1 NA 3.5 3.5 3.5 4.5 5.0 5.2
1962 15.9 12.0 2.0 NA NA 4.0 4.9 5.6 NA 4.0 4.1 3.8 5.0 5.6 5.5
1963 16.4 12.3 2.2 NA NA 4.4 5.4 6.1 NA 4.3 4.9 4.2 5.3 6.2 5.7
1964 17.0 12.9 2.5 NA NA 5.0 5.8 6.6 NA 4.7 5.2 4.8 5.6 6.8 6.1
1965 17.4 13.6 2.8 NA NA 5.5 6.4 7.2 NA 5.1 5.5 5.4 6.2 7.5 6.6
1966 18.2 14.6 3.1 NA NA 6.1 7.3 7.6 NA 5.5 5.9 6.1 6.8 8.2 7.2
1967 19.2 15.4 3.5 NA NA 6.7 8.1 8.2 NA 5.9 6.5 6.7 7.6 9.1 7.3
1968 20.7 16.5 4.1 NA NA 7.1 8.3 9.2 NA 6.3 7.0 7.5 8.4 9.9 6.8
1969 22.2 17.8 4.9 NA NA 7.7 9.3 9.4 NA 7.0 7.6 8.5 9.3 10.8 7.4
1970 23.7 19.7 5.8 NA NA 8.9 10.7 9.9 NA 8.9 9.2 9.8 10.3 12.0 8.6
1971 25.2 21.7 6.9 NA NA 10.5 12.4 11.1 NA 10.4 10.8 11.6 11.9 13.8 10.0
1972 26.5 23.7 9.1 NA NA 13.7 14.7 13.4 NA 12.6 12.8 14.5 14.3 16.5 11.8
1973 28.5 25.5 12.5 NA NA 18.5 20.5 17.5 NA 17.1 15.1 20.0 18.5 20.3 13.2
1974 31.6 30.3 15.2 NA NA 22.6 24.6 19.2 NA 19.9 17.7 24.7 22.6 23.5 15.1
1975 35.5 33.5 17.4 NA NA 29.0 31.1 26.3 NA 23.1 22.3 30.1 28.6 30.8 19.0
1976 38.4 39.8 18.8 NA NA 31.9 32.9 27.0 NA 24.3 21.7 32.0 31.6 34.3 17.9
1977 41.8 41.0 22.9 NA NA 37.1 36.7 29.8 NA 28.8 24.2 37.6 36.3 36.7 19.6
1978 45.2 41.0 31.4 NA NA 45.4 44.1 36.7 NA 35.8 29.0 46.2 40.4 40.2 25.1
1979 49.6 43.9 32.0 NA NA 51.7 51.6 44.0 NA 42.0 35.9 53.5 43.9 45.6 33.0
1980 55.6 49.0 32.7 NA NA 57.7 53.2 51.1 NA 46.1 40.8 57.0 49.0 51.4 43.7
1981 61.1 54.1 36.0 NA NA 49.5 46.2 46.0 NA 39.3 37.1 47.4 46.9 47.4 44.1
1982 67.0 59.6 33.4 NA NA 42.1 43.0 45.1 NA 38.8 36.8 47.1 46.4 41.0 42.0
1983 68.8 63.9 36.0 NA NA 41.3 42.0 43.0 NA 38.6 38.2 46.1 45.0 37.2 39.0
1984 71.2 64.3 37.1 NA NA 39.7 39.2 40.7 NA 36.3 37.9 42.6 44.1 37.5 37.2
1985 75.1 63.5 38.5 NA NA 40.8 40.9 42.9 NA 37.2 39.2 43.3 45.8 39.7 39.0
1986 78.5 63.3 57.2 NA NA 55.6 54.6 57.9 NA 52.4 52.3 61.1 58.0 51.8 47.8
1987 80.7 68.0 68.2 NA NA 68.6 70.6 69.2 NA 66.0 63.5 76.2 72.3 62.1 60.2
1988 84.0 76.0 78.2 NA NA 70.9 74.3 72.5 NA 70.4 65.5 78.0 79.3 68.2 68.3
1989 86.6 84.1 77.1 NA NA 70.1 72.3 71.4 NA 69.1 68.1 73.4 78.4 71.6 67.7
1990 90.8 91.5 79.1 NA NA 86.6 90.4 88.0 NA 86.4 86.8 87.7 91.7 86.4 81.7
1991 95.6 100.1 90.8 NA NA 91.5 90.5 90.2 86.7 89.4 92.9 89.4 93.3 91.9 90.5
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 102.7 95.5 117.3 NA NA 97.4 97.4 96.2 100.4 100.0 84.2 98.1 88.8 72.6 88.7
1994 105.6 91.7 130.1 NA NA 102.1 NA 100.8 107.8 107.6 82.4 104.6 91.9 75.3 92.4
1995 107.9 93.3 146.2 NA NA 119.1 NA 115.1 128.9 128.3 85.3 121.2 107.1 86.7 95.6
1996 109.3 93.1 127.2 NA NA 115.1 NA 114.1 128.5 128.4 96.1 118.0 109.3 99.1 94.7
1997 111.4 94.4 118.3 NA NA 103.0 NA 102.5 113.7 114.0 90.7 104.6 104.1 90.7 102.3
1998 117.3 90.6 112.0 NA NA 103.0 NA 103.1 113.1 113.3 87.3 106.2 103.8 90.9 107.5
1999 122.0 91.9 128.8 NA NA 99.2 NA 102.6 110.3 NA 85.8 105.0 106.2 89.5 109.6
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
* Compensation adjusted to include changes in employment taxes that are not compensation to employees, but are labor
costs to employers.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 25 -
Table 9. Unit labor costs in manufacturing, national currency basis, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada* Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France* (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden* Kingdom*
1950 NA 20.3 NA NA NA NA 11.0 12.2 NA 25.5 7.3 27.5 8.9 9.5 6.3
1955 NA 23.5 36.4 NA NA NA 13.8 17.0 NA 25.4 7.5 31.3 11.7 13.8 8.3
1960 NA 25.6 31.3 NA NA 30.1 15.4 19.5 NA 27.8 7.9 34.4 12.8 15.0 9.8
1961 NA 25.0 32.1 NA NA 31.5 16.3 20.3 NA 29.7 8.1 37.1 13.5 15.6 10.5
1962 NA 23.9 34.9 NA NA 32.1 17.0 21.1 NA 31.5 8.6 38.2 14.9 16.2 10.8
1963 NA 23.8 36.1 NA NA 34.2 17.9 21.8 NA 32.2 9.9 40.4 15.1 16.9 10.7
1964 NA 23.8 35.8 NA NA 36.3 17.9 22.0 NA 32.1 10.5 42.9 15.2 16.9 10.7
1965 NA 24.2 38.7 NA NA 38.3 18.9 22.3 NA 33.3 10.1 45.1 15.9 17.4 11.4
1966 NA 25.6 38.9 NA NA 39.6 20.5 21.8 NA 34.7 9.9 47.3 16.7 18.2 11.9
1967 NA 26.7 38.5 NA NA 40.9 21.4 22.1 NA 34.5 10.4 48.8 18.0 18.7 11.7
1968 NA 26.9 40.0 NA NA 40.3 21.6 22.6 NA 34.3 10.2 48.4 18.7 18.5 11.7
1969 NA 27.6 41.4 NA NA 40.4 23.4 22.7 NA 35.0 10.9 50.0 18.8 18.8 12.5
1970 NA 30.1 43.8 8.3 23.3 41.7 25.2 24.0 NA 39.8 12.4 52.9 20.3 20.6 14.1
1971 NA 30.2 47.8 8.8 24.4 45.2 27.1 25.5 NA 42.9 14.1 57.1 22.5 22.2 15.4
1972 NA 31.0 50.1 9.7 24.4 47.9 27.8 26.9 NA 44.7 14.6 60.8 24.1 23.6 16.8
1973 NA 32.0 56.2 11.6 28.2 51.2 30.6 28.8 NA 47.5 15.8 65.3 25.5 24.8 17.9
1974 NA 36.6 71.8 14.2 42.7 59.9 35.9 33.5 NA 52.1 19.4 72.7 28.9 27.9 21.1
1975 NA 43.6 81.3 16.3 43.4 69.5 38.9 39.5 NA 55.2 25.4 84.3 34.8 33.7 28.7
1976 NA 46.2 82.6 20.7 44.6 73.1 41.8 42.7 NA 55.4 27.7 84.8 39.3 38.9 31.9
1977 61.2 48.1 87.6 24.4 46.4 75.3 45.4 45.8 NA 58.8 32.1 85.5 43.5 43.3 35.7
1978 65.3 50.5 89.8 29.3 46.5 76.1 49.3 49.4 NA 61.1 34.7 86.8 46.8 46.6 41.1
1979 70.7 56.0 88.4 35.9 52.8 76.8 52.5 53.5 NA 62.9 38.4 89.0 45.8 46.6 48.5
1980 78.8 63.2 92.5 45.1 61.1 80.3 55.0 61.3 NA 69.4 43.1 93.0 50.8 51.0 59.1
1981 82.4 69.0 96.0 52.1 70.9 81.7 59.5 69.0 NA 72.4 50.9 95.1 56.6 56.6 65.3
1982 87.9 78.8 96.7 55.6 75.5 81.5 64.6 76.5 NA 76.7 58.9 99.2 60.5 58.7 68.2
1983 86.0 79.0 98.0 59.6 73.9 81.1 65.8 82.6 NA 76.4 65.7 96.2 64.2 60.7 67.8
1984 85.6 76.3 97.7 61.9 76.8 84.0 69.9 88.2 NA 77.3 68.9 90.9 66.3 62.5 69.4
1985 87.3 77.7 94.6 62.1 80.0 86.5 74.2 92.0 NA 78.6 73.5 91.8 70.2 68.0 73.5
1986 91.2 81.0 99.9 62.1 82.1 88.0 80.4 94.3 NA 81.2 75.6 93.7 77.7 72.4 77.0
1987 86.9 82.4 97.0 66.9 82.1 89.7 88.4 96.1 NA 86.3 78.0 95.9 84.1 75.8 81.6
1988 86.7 85.2 94.3 76.1 84.4 88.1 88.2 93.3 NA 86.5 79.9 93.6 90.4 79.4 82.3
1989 90.5 88.0 94.9 81.5 88.3 88.7 88.1 93.6 NA 87.9 84.9 91.1 92.2 85.1 84.7
1990 93.7 92.3 95.9 85.9 95.1 93.0 93.6 96.8 NA 90.3 91.3 92.1 95.6 92.9 91.7
1991 97.6 99.7 97.4 95.0 96.4 98.1 96.3 99.3 93.1 93.3 98.4 95.5 100.0 100.0 98.2
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 100.6 97.6 101.1 103.8 100.9 102.3 100.1 102.4 104.5 105.3 104.4 102.3 100.9 90.5 100.3
1994 98.5 94.3 101.5 108.2 101.9 97.9 93.0 97.3 101.9 103.6 102.1 96.0 102.9 83.5 99.7
1995 94.8 95.5 97.6 120.4 102.1 96.4 93.8 94.7 104.7 105.9 103.2 94.0 107.0 87.2 102.6
1996 93.5 95.9 94.0 126.5 101.6 94.7 100.9 95.9 107.4 107.5 109.9 94.5 111.4 91.7 104.8
1997 91.9 95.9 93.3 116.1 100.0 90.5 102.0 92.2 104.4 103.9 112.4 95.3 115.2 89.6 107.1
1998 92.5 98.8 95.5 113.6 101.4 90.3 102.8 92.7 105.3 100.4 110.8 96.1 121.5 90.8 111.4
1999 90.3 98.1 91.8 108.7 98.9 90.6 108.9 92.6 105.9 NA 112.0 97.0 128.4 90.3 111.4
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Korea, Taiwan, Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
* Compensation adjusted to include changes in employment taxes that are not compensation to employees, but are labor
costs to employers.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 26 -
Table 10. Unit labor costs in manufacturing, U.S. dollar basis, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada* Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France* (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden* Kingdom*
1950 NA 22.5 NA NA NA NA 9.6 18.5 NA 9.5 14.4 12.7 7.8 10.7 10.0
1955 NA 28.8 12.8 NA NA NA 12.0 25.7 NA 9.4 14.8 14.5 10.2 15.5 13.2
1960 NA 32.0 11.0 NA NA 19.4 13.5 21.1 NA 10.4 15.6 16.0 11.2 16.9 15.6
1961 NA 29.8 11.3 NA NA 20.3 14.3 21.9 NA 11.6 16.0 18.0 11.8 17.6 16.7
1962 NA 27.0 12.3 NA NA 20.7 14.9 22.8 NA 12.3 17.1 18.7 12.9 18.3 17.2
1963 NA 26.7 12.7 NA NA 22.0 15.7 23.5 NA 12.6 19.7 19.8 13.1 18.9 17.0
1964 NA 26.7 12.5 NA NA 23.5 15.6 23.7 NA 12.6 20.7 20.9 13.2 19.1 17.0
1965 NA 27.1 13.6 NA NA 24.8 16.5 24.0 NA 13.0 19.9 22.0 13.8 19.6 18.0
1966 NA 28.7 13.6 NA NA 25.6 17.9 23.5 NA 13.6 19.5 23.0 14.5 20.6 18.9
1967 NA 29.9 13.5 NA NA 26.5 18.5 23.7 NA 13.5 20.5 23.8 15.6 21.1 18.3
1968 NA 30.2 14.1 NA NA 25.9 17.4 24.2 NA 13.4 20.3 23.5 16.2 20.9 15.9
1969 NA 31.0 14.6 NA NA 25.9 18.8 23.1 NA 13.9 21.3 24.3 16.4 21.1 16.9
1970 NA 34.8 15.5 21.0 14.7 27.0 20.3 23.0 NA 17.1 24.4 25.7 17.6 23.1 19.2
1971 NA 36.1 17.4 19.9 15.3 29.9 22.1 24.5 NA 19.3 28.1 28.8 19.9 25.3 21.3
1972 NA 37.8 21.0 19.5 15.4 35.0 24.1 28.2 NA 21.9 30.8 33.3 22.7 28.9 23.8
1973 NA 38.6 26.3 22.8 18.6 42.4 30.7 34.4 NA 28.0 33.5 41.3 27.6 33.1 24.8
1974 NA 45.2 31.2 27.6 28.3 49.5 35.6 36.9 NA 31.5 36.8 47.6 32.5 36.7 28.0
1975 NA 51.8 34.8 26.4 28.7 60.9 40.9 48.8 NA 35.1 47.9 58.7 41.5 47.4 36.1
1976 NA 56.6 35.3 33.6 29.6 60.9 41.8 47.3 NA 34.4 41.1 56.5 44.8 52.0 32.6
1977 61.2 54.7 41.5 39.5 30.8 67.6 45.7 49.3 NA 39.6 44.8 61.3 50.8 56.4 35.3
1978 65.3 53.5 54.6 47.5 31.6 77.8 54.1 58.1 NA 47.6 50.4 70.7 55.5 60.1 44.6
1979 70.7 57.8 51.3 58.2 36.9 84.2 60.3 66.5 NA 53.6 57.0 78.0 56.2 63.3 58.3
1980 78.8 65.3 51.8 58.3 42.7 88.3 58.9 76.8 NA 59.6 62.0 82.3 63.9 70.2 77.9
1981 82.4 69.5 55.2 60.0 48.4 70.6 50.4 67.1 NA 49.9 55.1 66.9 61.3 65.1 74.8
1982 87.9 77.2 49.2 59.6 48.5 57.2 46.7 61.6 NA 49.3 53.6 65.3 58.2 54.4 67.4
1983 86.0 77.5 52.3 60.3 46.4 51.0 43.4 57.4 NA 46.7 53.3 59.3 54.7 46.1 58.2
1984 85.6 71.2 52.2 60.1 48.8 46.8 40.8 53.5 NA 42.4 48.4 49.8 50.5 44.0 52.6
1985 87.3 68.7 50.3 56.5 50.4 46.9 42.3 54.2 NA 41.7 47.5 48.7 50.8 46.1 54.0
1986 91.2 70.4 75.2 55.1 54.6 63.4 60.0 72.1 NA 58.5 62.4 67.3 65.3 59.2 64.0
1987 86.9 75.1 85.0 63.5 65.1 77.2 77.9 84.6 NA 74.9 74.1 83.2 77.5 69.6 75.8
1988 86.7 83.6 93.2 81.3 74.2 77.0 79.0 82.9 NA 76.9 75.6 83.2 86.1 75.4 83.0
1989 90.5 89.8 87.1 94.8 84.1 72.3 72.6 77.6 NA 73.0 76.2 75.5 82.9 76.8 78.6
1990 93.7 95.6 83.8 94.9 88.9 89.5 91.3 94.1 NA 87.3 93.8 88.9 95.0 91.3 92.6
1991 97.6 105.1 91.7 101.1 90.6 92.3 90.8 93.1 87.6 87.8 97.6 89.8 95.7 96.3 98.3
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 100.6 91.4 115.4 101.1 96.1 95.1 93.2 95.6 98.6 99.4 81.8 96.8 88.3 67.7 85.3
1994 98.5 83.4 125.9 105.2 96.9 94.2 88.3 92.9 98.2 99.8 78.1 92.8 90.7 63.1 86.5
1995 94.8 84.1 131.7 122.3 96.9 105.2 101.1 100.6 114.2 115.5 78.0 103.0 105.0 71.1 91.7
1996 93.5 85.0 109.6 123.3 93.0 98.3 105.0 99.2 111.5 111.6 87.8 98.6 107.1 79.6 92.6
1997 91.9 83.6 97.7 95.8 87.4 81.2 93.1 83.6 94.0 93.5 81.3 85.9 101.0 68.3 99.3
1998 92.5 80.5 92.4 63.7 76.0 80.0 92.6 83.2 93.5 89.1 78.6 85.2 100.0 66.5 104.5
1999 90.3 79.8 102.4 71.7 76.9 76.9 94.1 79.6 90.1 NA 75.9 82.4 102.2 63.6 102.0
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Korea, Taiwan, Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
* Compensation adjusted to include changes in employment taxes that are not compensation to employees, but are labor
costs to employers.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 27 -
Table 11. Exchange rates, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999 (Value of foreign currency relative to U.S. dollar)
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 100.0 110.5 35.2 NA NA NA 87.5 151.3 NA 37.2 197.3 46.2 87.1 112.6 158.6
1955 100.0 122.5 35.2 NA NA NA 87.4 151.2 NA 37.1 197.1 46.1 87.0 112.6 158.0
1960 100.0 124.6 35.2 NA NA 64.5 87.6 107.9 NA 37.4 198.4 46.6 87.1 112.7 159.0
1961 100.0 119.4 35.1 NA NA 64.5 87.4 107.9 NA 38.9 198.4 48.5 87.0 112.7 158.6
1962 100.0 113.1 35.1 NA NA 64.6 87.5 108.0 NA 39.1 198.5 48.8 87.1 113.0 159.0
1963 100.0 112.0 35.1 NA NA 64.5 87.4 108.0 NA 39.2 198.2 48.8 86.9 112.3 158.5
1964 100.0 112.0 35.0 NA NA 64.6 87.3 108.0 NA 39.3 197.3 48.8 86.8 113.1 158.1
1965 100.0 112.1 35.1 NA NA 64.8 87.3 108.0 NA 39.1 197.2 48.8 86.9 112.9 158.3
1966 100.0 112.2 35.0 NA NA 64.5 87.4 107.7 NA 39.1 197.3 48.6 86.9 112.8 158.1
1967 100.0 112.0 35.0 NA NA 64.7 86.5 107.6 NA 39.2 197.4 48.8 86.9 112.9 155.7
1968 100.0 112.2 35.2 NA NA 64.4 80.7 106.9 NA 39.1 197.7 48.6 87.0 112.7 135.5
1969 100.0 112.2 35.4 NA NA 64.1 80.3 102.2 NA 39.8 196.4 48.5 87.0 112.7 135.3
1970 100.0 115.8 35.4 252.7 62.9 64.7 80.5 95.7 NA 42.8 196.5 48.6 86.9 112.3 135.6
1971 100.0 119.7 36.5 226.0 62.9 66.2 81.6 96.1 NA 44.9 199.3 50.4 88.3 114.1 138.4
1972 100.0 122.0 41.8 199.7 62.9 73.0 86.8 104.9 NA 49.0 211.1 54.8 94.3 122.5 141.6
1973 100.0 120.8 46.8 197.0 65.8 82.8 100.2 119.3 NA 59.0 211.8 63.3 108.2 133.8 138.8
1974 100.0 123.6 43.5 194.0 66.2 82.7 99.3 110.1 NA 60.5 189.4 65.5 112.6 131.4 132.5
1975 100.0 118.8 42.7 162.1 66.2 87.6 105.3 123.6 NA 63.6 188.9 69.7 119.2 140.6 125.8
1976 100.0 122.6 42.8 162.1 66.2 83.3 99.9 110.9 NA 62.1 148.4 66.6 113.9 133.7 102.2
1977 100.0 113.7 47.3 162.1 66.2 89.7 100.6 107.7 NA 67.3 139.6 71.7 116.8 130.4 98.8
1978 100.0 106.0 60.8 162.1 67.9 102.3 109.6 117.6 NA 77.9 145.2 81.4 118.6 129.0 108.6
1979 100.0 103.2 58.1 162.1 69.8 109.6 114.8 124.4 NA 85.2 148.3 87.7 122.7 135.9 120.2
1980 100.0 103.4 55.9 129.2 69.8 110.0 107.1 125.3 NA 85.9 143.9 88.5 125.8 137.7 131.7
1981 100.0 100.8 57.5 115.2 68.3 86.4 84.6 97.3 NA 69.0 108.2 70.4 108.2 115.0 114.6
1982 100.0 97.9 50.9 107.2 64.3 70.2 72.4 80.5 NA 64.3 91.0 65.8 96.2 92.7 99.0
1983 100.0 98.1 53.4 101.1 62.8 62.9 66.0 69.5 NA 61.2 81.1 61.6 85.1 75.9 85.8
1984 100.0 93.3 53.4 97.1 63.5 55.7 58.3 60.6 NA 54.9 70.2 54.8 76.2 70.4 75.7
1985 100.0 88.5 53.2 91.0 63.1 54.2 57.0 58.9 NA 53.1 64.5 53.0 72.3 67.7 73.5
1986 100.0 87.0 75.3 88.7 66.5 72.0 74.6 76.4 NA 72.0 82.6 71.8 84.0 81.7 83.1
1987 100.0 91.1 87.7 95.0 79.2 86.1 88.2 88.0 NA 86.9 95.0 86.8 92.2 91.8 92.8
1988 100.0 98.2 98.9 106.8 87.9 87.4 89.6 88.8 NA 88.9 94.6 88.9 95.2 94.9 100.8
1989 100.0 102.1 91.8 116.4 95.3 81.6 82.5 83.0 NA 83.0 89.8 82.9 89.9 90.2 92.7
1990 100.0 103.6 87.4 110.4 93.5 96.2 97.5 97.2 NA 96.6 102.8 96.6 99.4 98.4 101.0
1991 100.0 105.5 94.2 106.5 94.0 94.0 94.3 93.7 94.0 94.0 99.3 93.9 95.7 96.3 100.1
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 100.0 93.7 114.1 97.4 95.2 93.0 93.1 93.4 94.4 94.4 78.3 94.6 87.5 74.7 85.0
1994 100.0 88.4 124.1 97.2 95.1 96.2 95.0 95.4 96.3 96.3 76.5 96.7 88.1 75.5 86.7
1995 100.0 88.1 134.9 101.5 95.0 109.1 107.8 106.2 109.1 109.1 75.6 109.6 98.1 81.6 89.4
1996 100.0 88.6 116.5 97.5 91.6 103.8 104.1 103.5 103.8 103.8 79.9 104.3 96.2 86.8 88.4
1997 100.0 87.3 104.7 82.5 87.4 89.8 91.3 90.7 90.0 90.0 72.3 90.1 87.7 76.2 92.7
1998 100.0 81.5 96.8 56.0 75.0 88.5 90.1 89.7 88.8 88.8 70.9 88.7 82.3 73.3 93.8
1999 100.0 81.3 111.5 65.9 77.8 84.9 86.4 86.0 85.1 85.1 67.8 85.0 79.6 70.4 91.6
NA: Not Available
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 28 -
Table 12. Average annual compensation in manufacturing, national currency basis, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada* Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France* (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden* Kingdom*
1950 8.8 5.9 NA NA NA NA 3.5 2.0 NA 4.9 0.9 4.0 2.9 2.4 1.9
1955 11.8 8.1 3.7 NA NA NA 4.7 3.4 NA 7.3 1.4 5.9 4.4 3.9 2.7
1960 14.8 10.3 5.3 NA NA 6.8 6.0 5.2 NA 10.7 1.8 8.4 6.0 5.1 3.5
1961 15.2 10.6 6.1 NA NA 7.2 6.6 5.7 NA 11.8 2.0 9.2 6.4 5.5 3.7
1962 16.0 11.0 6.9 NA NA 7.8 7.2 6.3 NA 13.0 2.3 9.8 7.0 6.1 3.9
1963 16.5 11.5 7.6 NA NA 8.6 7.8 6.9 NA 13.7 2.7 10.7 7.5 6.6 4.1
1964 17.3 12.1 8.5 NA NA 9.6 8.5 7.4 NA 14.8 2.9 12.3 8.0 7.1 4.4
1965 17.9 12.8 9.4 NA NA 10.5 9.4 8.0 NA 16.2 3.0 13.8 8.7 7.8 4.7
1966 18.8 13.6 10.4 NA NA 11.5 10.4 8.5 NA 17.4 3.2 15.3 9.5 8.5 5.0
1967 19.4 14.4 11.7 NA NA 12.4 11.6 9.1 NA 17.8 3.6 16.9 10.5 9.2 5.1
1968 20.9 15.3 13.6 NA NA 13.3 12.5 10.0 NA 19.4 3.8 18.5 11.3 9.8 5.5
1969 22.2 16.5 15.8 NA NA 14.4 13.8 10.9 NA 21.3 4.2 20.7 12.2 10.5 6.0
1970 23.3 17.6 18.7 NA NA 16.0 15.3 12.1 NA 24.8 5.0 23.5 13.5 11.7 6.8
1971 24.8 18.6 21.2 NA NA 18.2 17.5 13.5 NA 27.2 5.6 26.6 15.3 13.2 7.6
1972 26.5 20.0 24.3 NA NA 21.0 19.0 14.7 NA 29.8 6.2 30.1 16.9 14.3 8.7
1973 28.5 21.6 29.4 NA NA 24.3 21.8 16.6 NA 33.4 7.4 35.2 18.9 15.8 10.1
1974 31.0 24.9 37.0 NA NA 29.2 26.9 19.5 NA 37.2 9.4 40.7 21.8 18.4 11.7
1975 34.3 28.3 42.1 NA NA 33.3 31.1 23.1 NA 40.0 11.6 45.7 25.9 22.1 15.5
1976 37.6 32.5 46.7 NA NA 39.3 34.8 26.5 NA 44.3 14.4 50.9 29.2 25.5 18.1
1977 41.0 36.1 51.6 NA NA 42.3 38.2 29.9 NA 47.7 17.0 55.3 32.2 27.8 20.6
1978 44.3 39.1 55.2 NA NA 45.2 41.6 33.4 NA 50.6 19.5 59.2 34.6 29.9 23.9
1979 48.4 42.8 59.2 NA NA 48.1 46.5 37.7 NA 54.1 23.5 62.9 35.7 31.7 28.4
1980 53.5 47.2 62.9 NA NA 52.7 51.6 43.5 NA 57.9 27.6 66.7 39.1 34.9 33.1
1981 58.8 52.9 66.9 NA NA 56.1 56.1 49.8 NA 60.9 33.4 70.2 43.6 38.8 37.8
1982 63.3 59.6 70.0 NA NA 60.0 62.0 56.7 NA 64.1 39.3 75.3 48.1 42.0 42.1
1983 66.9 64.6 71.9 NA NA 64.2 67.2 62.3 NA 67.2 45.8 78.9 53.0 47.2 45.3
1984 70.2 68.2 74.9 NA NA 69.3 70.8 67.7 NA 70.3 52.5 80.7 57.9 52.1 49.2
1985 74.1 71.5 77.7 NA NA 74.1 73.0 72.9 NA 73.1 58.5 82.9 63.1 56.8 53.8
1986 77.4 72.9 81.1 NA NA 76.2 76.3 76.1 NA 75.6 62.4 85.7 68.9 61.2 58.4
1987 80.0 75.3 83.4 NA NA 79.2 81.5 79.4 NA 78.8 67.1 88.1 76.3 66.2 65.4
1988 84.0 79.7 85.7 NA NA 81.9 84.4 82.7 NA 81.7 72.0 88.6 81.6 70.0 70.0
1989 86.7 83.0 89.9 NA NA 86.4 88.2 86.9 NA 84.6 78.7 89.0 86.0 77.1 74.6
1990 90.2 88.5 95.5 NA NA 91.7 92.1 91.1 NA 89.2 85.4 91.2 90.9 86.5 82.6
1991 94.3 94.8 99.5 NA NA 97.3 95.6 95.7 88.2 94.3 93.7 95.4 96.4 94.2 91.4
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 104.1 103.0 100.6 NA NA 103.2 103.8 102.9 103.9 102.8 105.4 103.7 101.8 99.8 104.2
1994 108.0 105.8 102.9 NA NA 107.4 106.0 105.6 109.9 108.5 108.6 108.2 104.9 106.6 107.9
1995 109.5 107.7 107.1 NA NA 109.2 109.7 107.9 115.8 113.6 113.7 110.9 108.8 114.6 109.9
1996 110.9 107.2 108.5 NA NA 111.5 112.6 109.8 118.6 117.6 120.4 113.4 112.6 123.3 110.7
1997 113.9 111.6 111.6 NA NA 115.4 117.7 113.1 121.0 120.5 125.9 115.9 117.4 128.9 114.0
1998 118.7 114.0 112.0 NA NA 117.3 120.6 115.4 123.4 122.8 123.3 119.3 125.0 134.5 118.3
1999 124.4 116.9 111.6 NA NA 120.2 126.3 117.8 125.0 NA 126.3 123.0 131.6 138.2 122.8
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
* Compensation adjusted to include changes in employment taxes that are not compensation to employees, but are labor
costs to employers.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 29 -
Table 13. Real hourly compensation in manufacturing, CPI basis, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 46.8 37.0 NA NA NA NA 28.6 19.8 NA 11.7 18.5 17.1 26.3 25.2 26.6
1955 56.5 46.5 18.2 NA NA NA 31.9 26.7 NA 15.9 21.5 21.2 29.5 30.5 29.0
1960 65.2 54.6 23.1 NA NA 24.5 38.7 30.1 NA 23.6 24.7 26.4 36.4 35.3 34.1
1961 66.5 55.5 25.5 NA NA 25.7 41.7 32.2 NA 25.8 26.6 29.8 38.7 37.9 35.2
1962 68.3 57.0 27.3 NA NA 27.2 42.5 34.0 NA 28.4 29.8 31.0 40.4 40.3 35.5
1963 69.5 58.3 28.4 NA NA 29.4 43.9 35.4 NA 29.4 32.8 33.1 42.0 43.3 36.4
1964 71.4 59.7 30.7 NA NA 31.9 45.7 37.2 NA 31.1 33.1 36.2 42.5 45.7 37.6
1965 71.8 61.7 32.1 NA NA 34.0 47.7 39.4 NA 33.1 34.0 39.0 45.0 48.0 39.2
1966 73.0 63.8 33.7 NA NA 36.1 50.8 40.6 NA 34.7 35.4 41.3 47.7 49.4 40.8
1967 74.7 64.9 36.3 NA NA 38.3 53.0 42.5 NA 36.1 38.2 44.3 51.0 52.5 41.8
1968 77.2 66.6 40.1 NA NA 39.9 54.0 46.3 NA 38.3 40.3 47.5 54.3 56.0 42.9
1969 78.5 68.9 45.2 NA NA 42.1 58.7 47.5 NA 41.1 43.0 50.2 58.1 58.8 44.2
1970 79.5 71.5 49.9 NA NA 46.1 62.9 50.9 NA 46.7 49.8 55.6 58.3 61.7 47.8
1971 80.8 73.9 54.3 NA NA 51.1 68.3 54.1 NA 49.8 54.7 59.1 62.9 64.0 49.7
1972 82.3 75.7 59.6 NA NA 57.3 71.0 56.2 NA 52.3 58.0 62.9 65.8 67.4 53.5
1973 83.4 76.7 65.2 NA NA 63.6 78.8 60.0 NA 55.4 61.9 69.4 69.0 69.7 55.8
1974 83.4 80.2 69.4 NA NA 69.4 82.8 62.7 NA 58.9 67.7 75.6 74.0 74.7 57.8
1975 85.6 83.3 72.4 NA NA 74.4 90.0 68.4 NA 61.3 72.9 78.5 79.1 83.5 62.0
1976 87.8 88.8 71.2 NA NA 78.9 92.1 71.5 NA 63.1 77.7 80.5 83.9 88.3 61.8
1977 89.6 91.2 72.7 NA NA 79.5 91.8 74.2 NA 66.7 77.1 82.3 86.3 86.0 60.1
1978 90.6 89.9 74.3 NA NA 81.6 91.9 76.5 NA 69.9 78.9 85.6 87.4 88.8 64.4
1979 90.9 90.6 76.2 NA NA 83.1 93.7 78.4 NA 72.2 82.6 88.2 87.6 89.8 67.4
1980 91.7 91.7 75.3 NA NA 86.7 92.1 79.5 NA 74.6 80.0 87.3 86.0 87.5 69.0
1981 92.1 92.0 76.8 NA NA 87.8 90.7 81.2 NA 74.6 81.5 85.7 84.1 86.2 72.0
1982 95.4 94.1 78.4 NA NA 84.5 89.7 86.2 NA 75.0 82.6 85.8 84.1 85.0 72.4
1983 94.1 95.2 79.1 NA NA 86.1 89.7 86.9 NA 76.0 83.7 87.4 85.1 84.3 74.4
1984 93.6 96.4 79.7 NA NA 88.0 89.2 87.7 NA 77.7 86.8 87.8 87.7 85.1 76.3
1985 95.5 96.6 81.2 NA NA 88.5 90.9 89.6 NA 80.7 89.8 90.4 90.8 87.2 77.8
1986 98.1 94.1 84.8 NA NA 89.7 89.6 90.9 NA 84.1 88.2 93.9 92.4 90.3 81.5
1987 97.6 92.3 86.7 NA NA 91.0 94.1 91.5 NA 87.7 89.0 97.4 96.4 92.3 88.1
1988 97.9 92.1 87.6 NA NA 91.5 93.2 92.6 NA 90.3 87.9 96.6 96.0 94.0 87.7
1989 96.8 93.4 91.0 NA NA 94.1 94.1 94.1 NA 92.3 90.3 96.3 96.1 98.1 87.7
1990 96.6 94.7 95.1 NA NA 95.4 96.9 96.0 NA 96.6 94.6 96.5 97.7 97.4 88.9
1991 98.1 96.3 98.1 NA NA 99.7 98.0 98.8 96.9 99.1 98.7 98.1 99.8 97.2 93.9
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 100.2 100.2 101.4 NA NA 102.0 103.3 100.9 101.9 102.1 103.2 101.1 99.2 95.1 102.7
1994 100.8 101.6 102.8 NA NA 100.9 NA 101.7 104.3 104.8 99.6 102.7 100.6 95.6 102.4
1995 100.4 101.7 106.3 NA NA 102.3 NA 102.7 108.2 108.7 98.9 103.1 102.7 97.3 99.4
1996 99.0 99.2 107.0 NA NA 101.8 NA 102.4 111.9 112.8 101.5 103.6 105.6 103.3 97.2
1997 98.8 100.6 108.7 NA NA 103.6 NA 103.7 112.1 113.3 103.9 104.1 107.5 106.8 97.0
1998 102.6 102.5 110.8 NA NA 104.1 NA 104.8 112.0 113.3 100.2 105.3 111.8 110.3 97.4
1999 104.5 102.4 110.9 NA NA 103.3 NA 108.2 113.2 NA 101.5 106.2 115.5 109.2 100.2
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 30 -
Table 14. Real average annual compensation in manufacturing, CPI basis, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden Kingdom
1950 47.4 40.3 NA NA NA NA 40.2 24.4 NA 17.2 20.4 22.3 34.5 33.3 30.9
1955 57.4 48.7 21.7 NA NA NA 44.0 32.5 NA 23.3 24.3 27.7 38.7 39.9 34.2
1960 64.9 56.8 28.6 NA NA 30.8 50.8 36.6 NA 31.0 28.2 34.8 45.9 43.8 39.3
1961 66.2 57.5 31.2 NA NA 32.2 53.1 39.3 NA 33.4 30.0 37.6 48.1 46.4 40.1
1962 68.8 59.4 32.6 NA NA 34.2 54.5 41.4 NA 35.8 32.6 39.0 50.0 48.9 40.0
1963 70.1 61.0 33.6 NA NA 37.0 55.4 43.1 NA 36.5 36.1 41.4 51.8 51.8 41.0
1964 72.6 62.7 36.2 NA NA 40.0 58.3 45.0 NA 38.7 36.4 44.9 52.7 54.0 42.7
1965 73.7 64.9 37.2 NA NA 41.9 60.7 47.2 NA 41.0 36.1 48.2 54.5 56.1 43.9
1966 75.2 66.6 39.3 NA NA 44.1 63.4 48.8 NA 42.4 38.1 50.8 57.9 57.6 44.9
1967 75.6 67.8 42.4 NA NA 46.2 65.4 50.7 NA 42.9 41.7 54.2 61.3 60.2 45.7
1968 77.9 69.4 46.7 NA NA 48.2 65.1 53.7 NA 46.1 43.9 57.1 63.7 62.8 47.3
1969 78.7 71.5 51.9 NA NA 50.3 69.9 56.3 NA 49.5 46.6 59.5 66.6 64.6 48.7
1970 78.0 73.7 56.7 NA NA 53.7 72.5 59.6 NA 56.0 53.0 64.7 66.4 67.6 51.8
1971 79.5 76.0 60.7 NA NA 58.5 78.5 62.9 NA 58.4 56.6 68.1 70.9 69.8 52.6
1972 82.3 77.9 66.2 NA NA 64.2 79.8 64.7 NA 60.7 59.6 71.5 73.1 71.6 56.1
1973 83.3 78.3 71.9 NA NA 69.5 83.9 67.9 NA 63.8 64.3 77.3 76.1 72.6 59.2
1974 81.7 81.4 73.3 NA NA 73.9 89.8 70.0 NA 66.5 67.9 81.7 80.5 76.8 59.3
1975 82.7 83.4 74.6 NA NA 74.9 94.6 74.1 NA 67.4 71.8 83.2 85.6 84.1 63.5
1976 85.8 89.1 75.7 NA NA 80.9 97.2 77.7 NA 71.5 76.5 85.2 88.4 87.8 63.8
1977 87.9 91.4 77.4 NA NA 81.2 96.0 79.9 NA 74.3 75.6 86.7 89.4 84.9 62.4
1978 88.9 90.8 79.4 NA NA 83.2 95.0 81.8 NA 76.9 77.2 89.2 88.8 85.3 66.7
1979 88.6 91.1 82.0 NA NA 84.7 96.8 83.6 NA 79.2 80.2 90.9 87.5 84.9 69.5
1980 88.3 91.2 81.0 NA NA 87.0 95.7 84.8 NA 80.7 77.9 90.6 86.3 81.9 68.8
1981 88.8 90.8 82.0 NA NA 86.1 93.2 85.6 NA 79.7 79.3 89.3 84.6 81.2 70.7
1982 90.2 92.0 83.5 NA NA 84.7 93.5 87.1 NA 79.7 80.2 90.4 83.8 80.6 71.8
1983 91.5 94.3 84.3 NA NA 84.1 94.7 87.4 NA 80.9 81.3 92.2 85.2 81.1 74.0
1984 92.3 95.4 85.8 NA NA 85.4 93.9 88.4 NA 82.7 84.2 91.3 87.7 83.4 76.5
1985 94.2 96.2 87.2 NA NA 87.1 92.5 89.7 NA 84.3 86.4 91.6 90.4 84.5 78.8
1986 96.7 94.2 90.5 NA NA 88.4 93.3 91.2 NA 87.3 87.0 94.6 92.1 87.1 82.7
1987 96.7 93.2 92.9 NA NA 90.5 95.8 92.3 NA 90.9 89.4 97.7 93.7 90.3 88.9
1988 98.0 94.9 94.9 NA NA 92.5 94.9 93.7 NA 93.2 91.3 97.6 94.1 91.6 90.7
1989 96.9 94.1 97.4 NA NA 94.7 94.6 95.1 NA 93.9 93.7 96.8 94.7 95.3 89.7
1990 96.0 94.9 100.4 NA NA 97.0 96.3 96.5 NA 96.4 95.8 96.9 96.2 95.8 90.7
1991 96.8 96.1 101.2 NA NA 99.7 97.6 98.3 92.7 98.2 98.8 98.3 98.7 95.9 94.9
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 NA NA 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 101.5 101.2 99.3 NA NA 100.5 102.5 100.8 99.4 99.1 101.1 101.1 99.5 97.7 102.5
1994 103.0 103.6 100.9 NA NA 102.1 102.6 101.8 102.4 101.7 100.3 102.7 101.2 102.0 103.7
1995 101.9 103.3 105.1 NA NA 102.3 104.0 102.2 106.1 104.9 99.7 103.5 102.4 104.9 102.0
1996 100.5 101.3 106.4 NA NA 102.3 104.6 102.0 107.2 107.2 101.5 103.8 104.6 111.7 100.4
1997 100.9 103.8 107.5 NA NA 104.2 106.9 103.8 107.3 107.9 104.4 103.8 106.3 115.6 100.2
1998 103.8 105.0 107.2 NA NA 104.9 107.6 105.1 108.4 109.0 100.4 104.8 110.8 119.6 100.6
1999 106.5 105.9 107.1 NA NA 106.4 110.0 106.8 109.1 NA 101.3 105.8 114.0 118.6 102.8
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.
- 31 -
Table 15. Labor compensation in manufacturing, 14 countries or areas, 1950-1999
(Indexes: 1992=100)
United Germany Former West Nether- United
Year States Canada* Japan Korea Taiwan Belgium Denmark France* (unified) Germany Italy lands Norway Sweden* Kingdom*
1950 7.4 4.6 NA NA NA NA 2.9 2.2 NA 3.7 .7 4.6 3.4 2.9 3.1
1955 11.0 6.9 1.8 NA NA NA 4.1 3.9 NA 7.0 1.1 7.2 5.5 4.9 4.9
1960 13.7 8.8 3.4 NA NA 9.2 6.3 6.1 NA 11.6 1.7 10.9 7.3 6.9 6.7
1961 13.7 8.9 4.1 NA NA 10.1 7.0 6.8 NA 13.1 2.0 12.2 8.0 7.7 7.1
1962 14.8 9.6 4.9 NA NA 11.1 7.9 7.5 NA 14.5 2.3 13.2 8.9 8.5 7.3
1963 15.4 10.2 5.6 NA NA 12.4 8.5 8.4 NA 15.2 2.8 14.5 9.6 9.3 7.5
1964 16.4 11.2 6.5 NA NA 14.3 9.5 9.2 NA 16.4 3.0 16.9 10.4 10.2 8.2
1965 17.8 12.4 7.3 NA NA 15.6 10.7 9.8 NA 18.3 3.1 19.0 11.4 11.2 9.0
1966 19.8 13.9 8.3 NA NA 17.1 11.8 10.5 NA 19.4 3.3 21.0 12.6 12.1 9.6
1967 20.7 14.8 9.8 NA NA 17.9 12.5 11.1 NA 18.9 3.8 22.5 14.0 12.8 9.5
1968 22.6 15.9 11.8 NA NA 18.8 13.5 12.0 NA 20.7 4.1 24.4 14.9 13.4 10.2
1969 24.6 17.4 14.2 NA NA 21.1 15.4 13.5 NA 23.6 4.6 27.7 16.2 14.6 11.3
1970 24.8 18.2 17.1 .6 3.0 24.0 17.1 15.4 NA 28.2 5.7 31.5 18.2 16.6 12.8
1971 25.3 19.4 19.6 .7 3.8 27.2 18.8 17.4 NA 30.7 6.5 35.2 20.8 18.0 13.7
1972 27.8 21.5 22.4 .9 4.6 31.0 20.9 19.2 NA 33.0 7.1 38.4 23.2 19.3 15.3
1973 31.5 24.3 28.3 1.4 6.3 36.1 24.3 22.1 NA 37.3 8.8 44.2 26.1 21.7 17.8
1974 34.2 28.4 35.3 2.0 9.0 43.9 28.9 26.2 NA 40.5 11.4 51.0 30.5 25.7 20.8
1975 34.5 31.3 37.9 2.6 9.5 47.2 30.6 30.3 NA 40.9 14.1 55.3 35.9 31.2 26.3
1976 39.2 36.0 41.8 4.1 12.1 53.4 34.5 34.6 NA 44.2 17.7 59.1 40.4 36.0 29.8
1977 44.4 39.2 45.7 5.6 14.2 55.2 37.7 38.8 NA 47.8 21.2 62.5 44.7 37.7 34.0
1978 50.0 43.7 48.2 8.1 17.3 56.5 40.8 42.9 NA 50.6 24.0 65.5 47.1 39.6 39.3
1979 55.9 49.5 51.6 10.8 21.2 58.6 45.9 47.7 NA 54.8 29.4 68.8 48.0 42.1 46.2
1980 59.7 54.3 55.9 13.5 26.9 62.8 50.2 54.4 NA 59.2 34.6 72.0 52.6 46.3 51.5
1981 65.3 60.8 60.1 17.0 33.6 63.1 52.6 60.2 NA 61.0 40.1 73.8 57.6 49.8 53.4
1982 65.6 62.1 62.5 19.2 36.6 65.5 58.0 67.5 NA 62.5 45.7 76.1 61.3 51.8 55.7
1983 68.1 65.6 65.3 23.6 40.0 68.6 63.1 72.7 NA 63.2 51.1 76.1 64.1 56.9 56.5
1984 75.0 71.2 69.4 28.5 47.8 73.2 70.2 76.8 NA 65.9 55.8 76.1 69.4 63.2 60.1
1985 78.5 76.3 72.6 30.3 51.4 77.1 76.8 80.4 NA 69.4 61.2 79.0 76.2 70.0 65.4
1986 80.8 80.5 75.4 35.9 61.4 78.5 83.2 82.4 NA 72.9 64.6 82.7 84.0 75.4 69.4
1987 83.8 85.6 76.6 45.8 69.2 79.7 87.7 83.8 NA 76.0 69.2 85.8 93.0 80.8 77.1
1988 89.5 93.8 80.4 58.4 74.0 82.3 88.9 86.1 NA 78.6 75.4 86.8 95.2 87.2 83.4
1989 92.8 99.1 86.3 64.7 80.2 87.9 91.8 91.0 NA 82.6 83.3 88.3 93.4 94.5 89.3
1990 95.1 100.2 93.1 74.5 85.6 94.0 96.1 96.0 NA 89.5 90.9 92.2 95.7 102.3 96.5
1991 96.0 98.7 99.4 90.2 92.6 98.8 98.0 99.1 95.2 96.0 97.5 96.1 98.3 104.1 98.2
1992 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1993 104.2 102.1 97.4 109.4 103.4 99.2 99.1 98.0 96.6 96.6 100.6 100.5 103.6 92.2 101.7
1994 109.4 106.8 96.3 126.4 110.6 99.3 101.6 97.6 97.0 96.8 104.3 100.0 109.9 97.9 105.9
1995 112.2 112.8 96.5 156.5 117.2 100.4 107.6 99.4 99.8 99.2 110.6 101.3 116.6 111.9 110.6
1996 113.4 114.9 96.9 175.5 122.2 101.0 110.7 100.3 99.5 99.4 116.1 102.5 122.6 120.1 113.4
1997 117.5 122.8 99.4 171.6 128.3 102.9 114.8 101.1 99.9 99.5 121.7 106.0 133.3 124.2 117.4
1998 123.4 131.5 95.7 155.5 134.5 105.1 118.6 103.4 102.3 101.2 122.2 110.4 142.9 131.2 122.7
1999 127.3 138.7 92.8 181.2 139.9 106.6 121.5 105.8 103.2 NA 124.7 114.8 146.5 136.1 122.7
NA: Not Available
Note: The data relate to employees (wage and salary earners) in Korea, Taiwan, Belgium, Denmark, and Italy
and to all employed persons (employees and self-employed workers) in the other countries.
* Compensation adjusted to include changes in employment taxes that are not compensation to employees, but are labor
costs to employers.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2001.