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USDL 20-1139

Transmission of material in this release is embargoed until
8:30 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, June 4, 2020
Technical information: (202) 691-5606 • Productivity@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/lpc
Media contact:
(202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

PRODUCTIVITY AND COSTS
First Quarter 2020, Revised
Nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreased 0.9 percent in the first quarter of 2020, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, as output decreased 6.5 percent and hours worked decreased
5.6 percent. (All quarterly percent changes in this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates.) From the
first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020, productivity increased 0.7 percent, reflecting no change
in output and a 0.7-percent decrease in hours worked. (See chart 1 and table A1.)
Chart 1. Labor productivity, nonfarm business, 2016Q1 – 2020Q1
8.0

Percent change

Chart 2. Unit labor costs, nonfarm business, 2016Q1 – 2020Q1
8.0

6.0

6.0

4.0

4.0

2.0

2.0

0.0

0.0

-2.0

-2.0

-4.0

-4.0

-6.0

-6.0

Percent change

-8.0

-8.0

2016

2017

2018

2019

From previous quarter, annual rate
From same quarter a year ago

2020

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

From previous quarter, annual rate
From same quarter a year ago

Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 5.1 percent in the first quarter of 2020, as
hourly compensation increased 4.2 percent and productivity decreased 0.9 percent. Unit labor costs
increased 1.9 percent over the last four quarters. (See chart 2 and table 2.) BLS calculates unit labor
Coronavirus (COVID-19) impact on First Quarter 2020 Productivity Data
BLS quarterly estimates of labor productivity combine output data with hours worked data based
primarily on BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey and supplemented with data from the
Current Population Survey (CPS). The March reference period for these surveys largely predated many
of the COVID-19-related job losses that occurred in the latter part of March. To capture these job losses,
adjustments were made to employment and hours using supplementary data. Hours worked and related
measures—including labor productivity—for the first quarter of 2020 reflect these adjustments. For
more information see www.bls.gov/covid19/productivity-and-costs-first-quarter-2020-revised-adjustingmarch-2020-employment-and-hours.htm.

costs as the ratio of hourly compensation to labor productivity. Increases in hourly compensation tend to
increase unit labor costs, and increases in output per hour tend to reduce them.
Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of
hours worked by all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers. The 0.9percent decline in nonfarm business sector labor productivity in the first quarter of 2020 was only the
second quarterly decline since the fourth quarter of 2015, when output per hour decreased 2.9 percent.
The 6.5-percent first-quarter 2020 decrease in output was the largest since the first quarter of 2009,
when output also fell 6.5 percent, and the 5.6-percent decline in hours worked was the largest since the
second quarter of 2009 (- 8.7 percent).
Manufacturing sector labor productivity increased 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2020, as output
decreased 6.3 percent and hours worked decreased 6.6 percent. Total manufacturing sector productivity
declined 0.8 percent over the last four quarters, as output decreased 2.2 percent and hours worked
decreased 1.4 percent. (See tables A1 and 3.) Productivity decreased 3.5 percent in the durable
manufacturing sector in the first quarter of 2020, reflecting a 10.2-percent decrease in output and a 6.9percent decrease in hours worked. Productivity increased 4.3 percent in the nondurable manufacturing
sector, as output decreased 2.0 percent and hours worked decreased 6.1 percent. (See tables A1, 4, and
5.) Unit labor costs in the total manufacturing sector increased 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2020,
and increased 4.4 percent from the same quarter a year ago. (See table A1.)
The concepts, sources, and methods used for the manufacturing output series differ from those used in
the business and nonfarm business output series; these output measures are not directly comparable. See
the Technical Notes for a more detailed explanation. (See page 6.)
Preliminary first-quarter 2020 measures were announced today for the nonfinancial corporate sector.
Productivity decreased 1.3 percent in the first quarter of 2020 as output decreased 5.0 percent and hours
worked decreased 3.7 percent. Productivity increased 1.1 percent over the last four quarters. Unit profits
of nonfinancial corporations decreased at a 43.3 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2020 and
decreased 8.4 percent over the last four quarters. (See table 6.) The 43.3-percent drop in unit profits in
the first quarter of 2020 was the largest decline since the fourth quarter of 2001 (-46.7 percent).
Revised measures
Measures released today are based on more recent source data than were available for the
preliminary report. Total hours worked are produced by combining data on employment and
average weekly hours. For employees these data are primarily based on data from the Current
Employment Statistics (CES) survey. The survey reference period for March predated many of the
COVID-19-related job losses that occurred in the latter part of the month. In order to capture these
job losses, adjustments were made to March employment based on DOL Employment and
Training Administration weekly reports of the number of initial claims for unemployment
insurance (UI) benefits. This approach was reflected in the preliminary estimates of first-quarter
2020 labor productivity. Revised measures for the first quarter use this same basic methodology to
estimate employment, but also use April data from the CES to better account for job losses that
occurred in late March, as well as to adjust average weekly hours of employees. Hours worked by
self-employed and unpaid family workers are based on data from the Current Population Survey
(CPS). These hours worked data for March were adjusted using April CPS data and UI claims data.
Hours worked and related measures—including labor productivity—for all sectors for the first
quarter of 2020 reflect these adjustments.
-2-

Table B1 presents previous and revised productivity and related measures for the business,
nonfarm business, and manufacturing sectors for the first quarter of 2020.
In the first quarter of 2020, nonfarm business productivity decreased 0.9 percent, rather than 2.5
percent as reported May 7, due to a 0.3-percentage point downward revision to output and a 1.8percentage point downward revision to hours worked. Unit labor costs increased 5.1 percent rather
than increasing 4.8 percent as previously reported, reflecting a 2.0-percentage point upward revision to
hourly compensation that was largely offset by a 1.6-percentage point upward revision to productivity.
In the manufacturing sector, productivity was revised up from a decrease of 3.3 percent to an increase of
0.3 percent, due to a 0.8-percentage point upward revision to output and a 2.7-percentage point
downward revision to hours worked. Unit labor costs increased 6.9 percent rather than the preliminary
estimate of 3.6 percent, reflecting the upward revision to productivity and a 7.1-percentage point upward
revision to hourly compensation.
Table B2 shows previous and revised productivity and related measures for the business, nonfarm
business, manufacturing, and nonfinancial corporate sectors for the fourth quarter of 2019.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, labor productivity in the nonfarm business sector increased at the same
1.2-percent rate reported May 7. Hourly compensation was revised up from the previously reported
increase of 2.1 percent to a 3.4-percent increase. As a result, unit labor costs increased 2.2 percent in the
fourth quarter of 2019, rather than increasing 0.9 percent. Total manufacturing sector productivity
decreased 0.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019, a slightly larger decrease than previously reported.
Hourly compensation was revised up 2.8 percentage points to a 5.5-percent increase; this led to an
upward revision to unit labor costs, which increased 6.3 percent rather than increasing 3.5 percent.
In the nonfinancial corporate sector, productivity rose 3.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 rather
than increasing 2.8 percent as previously reported, due solely to an upward revision to output. Annual
average productivity in the nonfinancial corporate sector increased 1.9 percent in 2019, rather than the
preliminary estimate of 1.8 percent.
Complete quarterly and annual data series can be found on the Productivity and Costs home page:
www.bls.gov/lpc/#data.
______________
The preliminary Productivity and Costs news release for second-quarter 2020 is scheduled to be
released on Friday, August 14, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).

-3-

Table A1. Labor productivity growth and related measures - revised first-quarter 2020
(percent change from previous quarter at annual rate and from same quarter a year ago)

Sector
Percent change from:
Nonfarm business Previous quarter
A year ago

Labor
productivity
-0.9
0.7

Output
-6.5
0.0

Hours
worked
-5.6
-0.7

Hourly
compensation
4.2
2.6

Real hourly
compensation
2.9
0.4

Unit labor
costs
5.1
1.9

Business

Previous quarter
A year ago

-0.7
0.7

-6.3
0.1

-5.6
-0.6

3.9
2.5

2.7
0.4

4.7
1.8

Manufacturing

Previous quarter
A year ago

0.3
-0.8

-6.3
-2.2

-6.6
-1.4

7.3
3.5

6.0
1.4

6.9
4.4

Durable
manufacturing

Previous quarter
A year ago

-3.5
-1.2

-10.2
-3.2

-6.9
-2.0

7.5
4.0

6.2
1.8

11.4
5.3

Nondurable
manufacturing

Previous quarter
A year ago

4.3
-0.7

-2.0
-1.2

-6.1
-0.4

6.8
2.9

5.5
0.7

2.4
3.6

Table A2. Labor productivity growth and related measures - preliminary first-quarter 2020
(percent change from previous quarter at annual rate and from same quarter a year ago)

Sector
Nonfinancial
corporate

Percent change from:
Previous quarter
A year ago

Labor
productivity
-1.3
1.1

Output
-5.0
0.6

Hours
worked
-3.7
-0.5

Hourly
compensation
4.2
2.6

Real hourly
compensation
3.0
0.5

Unit labor
costs
5.6
1.5

Table B1. Labor productivity growth and related measures - revised and previously published first-quarter 2020
(percent change from previous quarter at annual rate)

Sector
Nonfarm business

Labor
productivity
Revised
-0.9
Previously published
-2.5

Output
-6.5
-6.2

Hours
worked
-5.6
-3.8

Hourly
compensation
4.2
2.2

Real hourly
compensation
2.9
0.9

Unit labor
costs
5.1
4.8

Business

Revised
Previously published

-0.7
-2.3

-6.3
-6.0

-5.6
-3.8

3.9
1.9

2.7
0.7

4.7
4.4

Manufacturing

Revised
Previously published

0.3
-3.3

-6.3
-7.1

-6.6
-3.9

7.3
0.2

6.0
-1.0

6.9
3.6

Durable
manufacturing

Revised
Previously published

-3.5
-8.3

-10.2
-11.9

-6.9
-3.9

7.5
-2.2

6.2
-3.4

11.4
6.6

Nondurable
manufacturing

Revised
Previously published

4.3
2.1

-2.0
-1.8

-6.1
-3.8

6.8
5.0

5.5
3.7

2.4
2.8

-4-

Table B2. Labor productivity growth and related measures - revised and previously published fourth-quarter 2019
(percent change from previous quarter at annual rate)

Sector
Nonfarm business

Labor
productivity
Revised
1.2
Previously published
1.2

Output
2.4
2.4

Hours
worked
1.2
1.2

Hourly
compensation
3.4
2.1

Real hourly
compensation
1.0
-0.3

Unit labor
costs
2.2
0.9

Business

Revised
Previously published

1.0
1.0

2.4
2.4

1.4
1.4

3.2
1.9

0.8
-0.5

2.2
0.9

Manufacturing

Revised
Previously published

-0.8
-0.7

-0.2
-0.2

0.5
0.5

5.5
2.7

3.0
0.3

6.3
3.5

Durable
manufacturing

Revised
Previously published

-1.2
-1.0

-1.6
-1.4

-0.4
-0.4

8.4
4.1

5.9
1.6

9.7
5.1

Nondurable
manufacturing

Revised
Previously published

-0.9
-1.0

1.2
1.1

2.1
2.1

0.2
0.4

-2.1
-2.0

1.1
1.3

Revised
Previously published

3.7
2.8

4.9
4.1

1.2
1.2

3.8
2.4

1.4
0.0

0.1
-0.4

Nonfinancial
corporate

-5-

TECHNICAL NOTES
Labor Hours
Hours worked data for the labor productivity and cost measures include hours worked for all persons
working in the sector—wage and salary workers, the self-employed and unpaid family workers. The
primary source of hours and employment data is the BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES)
program, which provides monthly survey data on the number of jobs held by wage and salary workers in
nonfarm establishments, counting a person who is employed by two or more establishments at each
place of employment. The CES also provides average weekly paid hours of production and
nonsupervisory workers in these establishments. Weekly paid hours are adjusted to hours worked using
data from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) for 1996 forward and data from the BLS Hours at
Work survey, conducted for this purpose, prior to 1990. Between 1990 and 1995, weekly paid hours are
adjusted to hours at work using a combination of NCS and Hours at Work survey data. The Office of
Productivity and Technology estimates average weekly hours at work for nonproduction and supervisory
workers using information from the Current Population Survey (CPS), the CES, and the NCS.
Data from the CPS are used to estimate hours worked for farm labor, nonfarm proprietors, and nonfarm
unpaid family workers. Using CPS information on employment and hours worked at primary jobs and
all other jobs, separately, the BLS productivity measures assign all hours worked to the appropriate
industrial sector. Hours for government enterprises are derived from the CPS, the CES, and the National
Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the
Department of Commerce.
Detailed hours data are presented in the table “Hours Worked in Total U.S. Economy and Subsectors”
on the BLS website (https://www.bls.gov/lpc/special_requests/us_total_hrs_emp.xlsx).
Output
Business sector output is a chain-type, current-weighted index constructed after excluding from gross
domestic product (GDP) the following outputs: general government, nonprofit institutions, and private
households (including owner-occupied housing). Corresponding exclusions also are made in labor hours
worked. Business output accounted for about 78 percent of the value of GDP in 2019. Nonfarm
business, which excludes farming, accounted for about 77 percent of GDP in 2019.
Annual indexes for manufacturing and its durable and nondurable goods components are constructed by
deflating current-dollar industry value of production data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census with
deflators from the BLS. These deflators are based on data from the BLS Producer Price Index program
and other sources. The industry shipments are aggregated using annual weights, and intrasector
transactions are removed. Quarterly manufacturing output measures are based on the indexes of
industrial production prepared monthly by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,
adjusted to be consistent with annual indexes of manufacturing sector output prepared by BLS.
Nonfinancial corporate output is a chain-type, current-weighted index calculated on the basis of the
costs incurred and the incomes earned from production. The output measure excludes the following
outputs from GDP: general government; nonprofit institutions; private households; unincorporated
business; and those corporations classified as offices of bank holding companies, offices of other
holding companies, or offices in the finance and insurance sector. Nonfinancial corporations accounted
for about 50 percent of the value of GDP in 2019.

-6-

Labor Productivity
The measure describes the relationship between real output and the labor time involved in its production.
Measures of labor productivity growth show the changes from period to period in the amount of goods
and services produced per hour worked. They reflect the joint effects of many influences, including
changes in technology; capital investment; level of output; utilization of capacity, energy, and materials;
the organization of production; managerial skill; and the characteristics and effort of the work force.
Labor Compensation
The measure includes accrued wages and salaries, supplements, employer contributions to employee
benefit plans, and taxes. Estimates of labor compensation by major sector, required for measures of
hourly compensation and unit labor costs, are based primarily on employee compensation data from the
NIPA, prepared by the BEA. The compensation of employees in general government, nonprofit
institutions and private households are subtracted from compensation of employees in domestic
industries to derive employee compensation for the business sector. The labor compensation of
proprietors cannot be explicitly identified and must be estimated. This is done by assuming that
proprietors have the same hourly compensation as employees in the same sector. The quarterly labor
productivity and cost measures do not contain estimates of compensation for unpaid family workers.
Unit Labor Costs
These measures describe the relationship between compensation per hour and labor productivity, or real
output per hour, and can be used as an indicator of inflationary pressure on producers. Increases in
hourly compensation increase unit labor costs; labor productivity increases offset compensation
increases and lower unit labor costs.
Presentation of the data
The quarterly data in this release are presented in three ways: as percent changes from the previous
quarter presented at a compound annual rate, as percent changes from the corresponding quarter of the
previous year, and as index number series where 2012=100. Annual data are presented both as index
number series and percent changes from the previous year.
The index numbers and rates of change reported in the productivity and costs news release are rounded
to one decimal place. All percent changes in this release and on the BLS web site are calculated using
index numbers to three decimal places. A complete historical series of these index numbers are available
at the BLS web site, www.bls.gov/data/home.htm, or by contacting the BLS Division of Major Sector
Productivity (Telephone 202-691-5606 or email productivity@bls.gov).
For a more detailed explanation of methodology see "Technical Information About the Major Sector
Productivity and Costs Methods" at www.bls.gov/lpc/lpcmethods.pdf.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. Voice
phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service number: 1-800-877-8339.

-7-

Table 1. Business sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and prices,
seasonally adjusted.
Real
Hourly
hourly
Unit
Implicit
Year
Labor
compencompenUnit
nonlabor
price
and
producHours
sation
sation
labor
payments
deflator
quarter
tivity
Output
worked
(1)
(2)
costs
(3)
(4)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2020 I
2019 ANNUAL
2019 IV
III
II
I
2018 ANNUAL

-0.7 r

-6.3 r

-5.6 r

3.9 r

2.7 r

4.7 r

-3.8 r

0.9 r

2.0

2.7

0.7

3.8 r

2.0 r

1.8 r

0.8 r

1.4

1.0
-0.4
3.0
4.0

2.4
2.4
2.0
3.9

1.4
2.7
-0.9
0.0

3.2 r
0.0
3.0
9.9

0.8 r
-1.8
0.0
8.9

2.2 r
0.3
0.1
5.7

-0.6 r
2.5
7.0
-7.3

1.0
1.2
3.0
-0.1

1.5

3.4

1.9

3.4

0.9

1.9

2.8

2.3

2018 IV
0.4
1.2
0.8
1.0
-0.2
0.6
2.1
1.2
III
1.3
3.4
2.1
3.1
0.9
1.8
1.1
1.5
II
2.7
4.0
1.3
1.0
-1.2
-1.6
10.8
3.6
I
1.3
2.9
1.6
4.7
1.4
3.4
0.1
2.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2020 I

0.7 r

0.1

2019 ANNUAL

2.0

2.7

2019 IV
III
II
I

1.9
1.7
2.1
2.1

2018 ANNUAL

1.5

-0.6 r

2.5 r

0.4 r

1.8 r

1.2 r

1.5 r

0.7

3.8 r

2.0 r

1.8 r

0.8 r

1.4

2.7
2.4
2.7
3.1

0.8
0.6
0.5
1.0

4.0 r
3.4
4.2
3.7

1.9 r
1.6
2.3
2.0

2.0 r
1.6
2.0
1.6

0.3 r
0.9
0.6
1.5

1.3
1.3
1.4
1.5

3.4

1.9

3.4

0.9

1.9

2.8

2.3

2018 IV
1.4
2.9
1.4
2.4
0.2
1.0
3.4
2.1
III
1.3
3.6
2.2
3.3
0.6
1.9
3.1
2.4
II
1.8
3.7
1.9
3.7
1.0
1.9
3.5
2.6
I
1.3
3.4
2.1
4.0
1.8
2.7
1.0
2.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indexes 2012=100
2020 I

108.3 r

120.6 r

111.3 r

122.4 r

108.5 r

113.0 r

108.5 r

111.0 r

2019 ANNUAL

108.2

121.6

112.3

120.3 r

107.8 r

111.2 r

109.0 r

110.2

2019 IV
III
II
I

108.5
108.3
108.4
107.6

122.6
121.9
121.2
120.6

113.0
112.6
111.8
112.1

121.2 r
120.3
120.3
119.4

107.7 r
107.5
108.0
108.0

111.7 r
111.1
111.0
111.0

109.6 r
109.8
109.1
107.3

110.8
110.5
110.2
109.4

2018 ANNUAL

106.1

118.3

111.5

115.9

105.7

109.2

108.1

108.7

2018 IV
106.5
119.4
112.1
116.6
105.7
109.4
109.3
109.4
III
106.4
119.0
111.8
116.3
105.8
109.3
108.8
109.1
II
106.1
118.0
111.3
115.4
105.6
108.8
108.5
108.7
I
105.4
116.9
110.9
115.1
105.9
109.2
105.7
107.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See footnotes following Table 6.
June 4, 2020
r=revised
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

-8-

Table 2. Nonfarm business sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and
prices, seasonally adjusted.
Real
Hourly
hourly
Unit
Implicit
Year
Labor
compencompenUnit
nonlabor
price
and
producHours
sation
sation
labor
payments
deflator
quarter
tivity
Output
worked
(1)
(2)
costs
(3)
(4)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2020 I
2019 ANNUAL
2019 IV
III
II
I
2018 ANNUAL

-0.9 r

-6.5 r

-5.6 r

4.2 r

2.9 r

5.1 r

-4.2 r

1.9

1.8 r

0.9 r

1.4

2.2 r
0.2
0.1
5.7

-0.8 r
2.4
7.1
-7.1

0.9
1.2
3.1
0.0

1.9

2.7

0.7

3.8 r

1.2
-0.3
2.7
3.9

2.4
2.3
1.9
3.9

1.2
2.6
-0.7
0.1

3.4 r
-0.1
2.7
9.8

1.4

3.5

2.0

3.3

1.0 r
-1.8
-0.3
8.8
0.8

1.8

3.0

1.0 r

2.3

2018 IV
0.6
1.2
0.7
1.2
0.0
0.7
1.8
1.2
III
1.7
3.5
1.8
3.4
1.2
1.6
1.9
1.7
II
2.1
4.0
1.8
0.5
-1.6
-1.5
10.8
3.6
I
0.9
2.9
2.0
4.2
0.9
3.2
0.3
2.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2020 I

0.7 r

0.0 r

2019 ANNUAL

1.9

2.7

2019 IV
III
II
I

1.8
1.7
2.2
2.0

2018 ANNUAL

1.4

-0.7 r

2.6 r

0.4 r

1.9 r

1.0 r

1.5 r

0.7

3.8 r

1.9

1.8 r

0.9 r

1.4

2.7
2.4
2.6
3.2

0.8
0.7
0.4
1.1

3.9 r
3.4
4.2
3.7

1.8 r
1.6
2.4
2.0

2.0 r
1.6
2.0
1.6

0.3 r
0.9
0.8
1.7

1.3
1.3
1.5
1.6

3.5

2.0

3.3

0.8

1.8

3.0

2.3

2018 IV
1.3
2.9
1.6
2.3
0.1
1.0
3.6
2.1
III
1.4
3.6
2.2
3.3
0.6
1.9
3.4
2.5
II
1.7
3.8
2.1
3.5
0.8
1.8
3.7
2.6
I
1.3
3.5
2.2
3.9
1.7
2.6
1.2
2.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indexes 2012=100
2020 I

108.0 r

120.3 r

111.4 r

122.5 r

108.6 r

113.4 r

109.5 r

111.7 r

2019 ANNUAL

107.9

121.3

112.4

120.3 r

107.9 r

111.5 r

110.1 r

110.9

2019 IV
III
II
I

108.3
108.0
108.0
107.3

122.4
121.6
120.9
120.4

113.0
112.7
111.9
112.1

121.3 r
120.3
120.3
119.5

107.8 r
107.5
108.0
108.1

112.0 r
111.4
111.3
111.3

110.7 r
110.9
110.3
108.4

111.4
111.2
110.9
110.0

2018 ANNUAL

105.8

118.1

111.6

115.9

105.8

109.5

109.1

109.3

2018 IV
106.3
119.2
112.1
116.7
105.8
109.8
110.4
110.0
III
106.2
118.8
111.9
116.3
105.9
109.6
109.9
109.7
II
105.7
117.8
111.4
115.4
105.5
109.1
109.4
109.3
I
105.2
116.7
110.9
115.2
106.0
109.6
106.6
108.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See footnotes following Table 6.
June 4, 2020
r=revised
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

-9-

Table 3. Manufacturing sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, and unit labor costs,
seasonally adjusted.
Real
Year
Labor
Hourly
hourly
Unit
and
producHours
compensacompensalabor
quarter
tivity
Output
worked
tion (1)
tion (2)
costs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2020 I

0.3 r

2019 ANNUAL

0.1

2019 IV
III
II
I
2018 ANNUAL

-0.8 r
-0.5
-2.3
1.3
0.4

-6.3 r

-6.6 r

7.3 r

6.0 r

6.9 r

0.0

-0.1

3.4 r

1.5 r

3.3 r

-0.2
0.9
-3.1
-1.7

0.5
1.4
-0.9
-3.1

5.5 r
-1.2
2.7
8.3

3.0 r
-3.0
-0.3
7.4

6.3 r
-0.7
5.2
6.9

2.3

1.9

2.2

-0.3

1.8

2018 IV
0.9
1.6
0.6
3.5
2.2
2.5
III
0.3
4.0
3.7
2.3
0.2
2.0
II
1.4
2.7
1.3
-4.7
-6.7
-6.0
I
0.0
1.9
1.9
4.7
1.3
4.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2020 I
2019 ANNUAL
2019 IV
III
II
I
2018 ANNUAL

-0.8 r

-2.2 r

-1.4 r

3.5 r

1.4 r

4.4 r

0.1

0.0

-0.1

3.4 r

1.5 r

3.3 r

-0.6
-0.1
0.1
1.0

-1.1
-0.6
0.1
1.6

-0.5
-0.5
0.1
0.6

3.8 r
3.3
4.2
2.3

1.7 r
1.5
2.3
0.6

4.4 r
3.4
4.1
1.3

0.4

2.3

1.9

2.2

-0.3

1.8

2018 IV
0.6
2.5
1.9
1.4
-0.8
0.7
III
1.2
3.4
2.2
1.8
-0.8
0.6
II
-0.3
1.7
2.0
1.7
-1.0
1.9
I
-0.1
1.4
1.6
3.9
1.6
4.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indexes 2012=100
2020 I

98.4 r

103.1 r

104.8 r

119.7 r

106.1 r

121.7 r

2019 ANNUAL

98.7

104.9 r

106.4

116.4 r

104.4 r

118.0 r

2019 IV
III
II
I

98.3 r
98.5
98.6
99.2

104.8 r
104.9
104.6
105.5

106.6
106.5
106.1
106.3

117.6 r
116.1
116.4
115.6

104.6 r
103.8
104.6
104.6

119.6 r
117.8
118.0
116.6

2018 ANNUAL

98.6

104.9

106.4

112.6

102.8

114.3

2018 IV
98.9
105.9
107.1
113.3
102.8
114.6
III
98.6
105.5
107.0
112.4
102.2
113.9
II
98.6
104.5
106.0
111.7
102.2
113.4
I
98.2
103.8
105.7
113.1
104.0
115.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See footnotes following Table 6.
June 4, 2020
r=revised
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

-10-

Table 4. Durable manufacturing sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, and unit labor
costs, seasonally adjusted.
Real
Year
Labor
Hourly
hourly
Unit
and
producHours
compensacompensalabor
quarter
tivity
Output
worked
tion (1)
tion (2)
costs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2020 I
2019 ANNUAL
2019 IV
III
II
I
2018 ANNUAL

-3.5 r
0.5
-1.2 r
0.5
-0.7
0.3
0.8

-10.2 r
0.7
-1.6 r
1.5
-2.3
-2.7
3.0

-6.9 r

7.5 r

6.2 r

11.4 r

0.2

3.3 r

1.5 r

2.8 r

-0.4
1.1
-1.6
-3.0

8.4 r
-2.1
2.4
8.9

5.9 r
-3.9
-0.7
7.9

9.7 r
-2.6
3.1
8.5

2.2

2.6

0.2

1.9

2018 IV
1.6
4.7
3.1
2.6
1.4
1.0
III
2.2
5.8
3.6
2.0
-0.1
-0.1
II
0.2
2.2
2.0
-4.4
-6.4
-4.6
I
0.8
3.9
3.1
4.6
1.3
3.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2020 I
2019 ANNUAL
2019 IV
III
II
I
2018 ANNUAL

-1.2 r
0.5
-0.3 r
0.4
0.8
1.1
0.8

-3.2 r
0.7
-1.3 r
0.3
1.3
2.5
3.0

-2.0 r

4.0 r

1.8 r

5.3 r

0.2

3.3 r

1.5 r

2.8 r

-1.0
-0.1
0.5
1.4

4.3 r
2.9
3.9
2.2

2.2 r
1.1
2.1
0.6

4.6 r
2.4
3.1
1.1

2.6

0.2

1.9

2.2

2018 IV
1.2
4.2
2.9
1.2
-1.0
0.0
III
1.6
4.1
2.5
2.3
-0.3
0.7
II
-0.2
2.0
2.2
2.2
-0.5
2.4
I
0.5
1.7
1.2
5.0
2.7
4.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indexes 2012=100
2020 I

98.9 r

103.5 r

104.7 r

121.2 r

107.4 r

122.5 r

2019 ANNUAL

100.0 r

106.6 r

106.6

117.3 r

105.2 r

117.3 r

2019 IV
III
II
I

99.8 r
100.1
100.0
100.1

106.3 r
106.8
106.4
107.0

106.6
106.7
106.4
106.8

119.0 r
116.6
117.2
116.6

105.8 r
104.3
105.3
105.5

119.2 r
116.5
117.3
116.4

105.9

106.4

113.6

103.7

114.2

2018 ANNUAL

99.5

2018 IV
100.1
107.7
107.6
114.1
103.5
114.0
III
99.7
106.5
106.8
113.4
103.1
113.7
II
99.1
105.0
105.9
112.8
103.2
113.8
I
99.1
104.4
105.4
114.1
104.9
115.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See footnotes following Table 6.
June 4, 2020
r=revised
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

-11-

Table 5. Nondurable manufacturing sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, and unit labor
costs, seasonally adjusted.
Real
Year
Labor
Hourly
hourly
Unit
and
producHours
compensacompensalabor
quarter
tivity
Output
worked
tion (1)
tion (2)
costs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2020 I

4.3 r

-2.0 r

-6.1 r

6.8 r

5.5 r

2.4 r

1.6

3.7

2019 ANNUAL

-0.2

-0.7

-0.5

3.4

2019 IV
III
II
I

-0.9 r
-1.7
-4.4
2.5

1.2 r
0.2
-4.0
-0.7

2.1
2.0
0.5
-3.2

0.2 r
0.8
3.8
7.3

-2.1 r
-1.0
0.7
6.3

1.1 r
2.6
8.6
4.6

0.1

1.5

1.4

1.2

-1.2

1.1

2018 ANNUAL

2018 IV
1.7
-1.6
-3.3
4.4
3.1
2.6
III
-1.6
2.2
3.9
3.0
0.9
4.7
II
3.0
3.1
0.1
-5.5
-7.6
-8.3
I
-0.1
-0.1
0.0
4.4
1.1
4.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2020 I

-0.7 r

-1.2 r

-0.4 r

2.9 r

0.7 r

3.6 r

2019 ANNUAL

-0.2

-0.7

-0.5

3.4

1.6

3.7

2019 IV
III
II
I

-1.2
-0.5
-0.5
1.4

-0.8 r
-1.5
-1.1
0.7

0.3
-1.0
-0.6
-0.7

3.0
4.0
4.6
2.2

0.9 r
2.2
2.7
0.5

4.2 r
4.6
5.1
0.8

1.4

1.2

2018 ANNUAL

0.1

1.5

-1.2

1.1

2018 IV
0.7
0.9
0.1
1.5
-0.7
0.7
III
1.0
2.6
1.6
0.8
-1.8
-0.2
II
-0.2
1.3
1.6
0.7
-2.0
0.9
I
-1.1
1.1
2.3
1.9
-0.4
3.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indexes 2012=100
2020 I

99.0 r

103.9 r

105.0 r

116.9 r

103.6 r

118.2 r

2019 ANNUAL

98.6 r

104.4 r

106.0

114.6 r

102.7 r

116.3 r

2019 IV
III
II
I

97.9 r
98.1
98.6
99.7

104.4 r
104.1
104.1
105.1

106.7
106.1
105.6
105.5

115.0 r
115.0
114.7
113.7

102.2 r
102.8
103.1
102.9

117.5 r
117.1
116.4
114.0

2018 ANNUAL

98.8

105.2

106.5

110.8

101.1

112.2

2018 IV
99.1
105.3
106.3
111.7
101.3
112.7
III
98.7
105.8
107.2
110.5
100.5
112.0
II
99.1
105.2
106.2
109.7
100.3
110.7
I
98.3
104.4
106.2
111.3
102.3
113.2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See footnotes following Table 6.
June 4, 2020
r=revised
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

-12-

Table 6. Nonfinancial corporate sector: Labor productivity, hourly compensation, unit labor costs,
unit profits, and prices, seasonally adjusted.
Real
Hourly
hourly
Unit
Total
Implicit
Year
Labor
compencompenUnit
nonlabor unit
Unit
price
and
producHours
sation
sation
labor
costs
costs
profits deflator
quarter
tivity
Output
worked
(1)
(2)
costs
(6)
(7)
(8)
(4)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from previous quarter at annual rate (5)
2020 I

-1.3

-5.0

-3.7

4.2

3.0

5.6

9.1

6.7

1.5

1.6

1.6 r

-5.8 r

0.7

-1.2 r
1.2
1.3
5.3

14.8 r
-3.6
12.0
-33.7

0.4
0.7
2.4
-0.1

-1.1

2.8

2019 ANNUAL

1.9 r

2.8

0.9

3.5 r

1.6 r

2019 IV
III
II
I

3.7 r
1.0
1.0
2.1

4.9 r
1.7
1.1
3.6

1.2
0.7
0.1
1.5

3.8 r
0.1
2.5
9.6

1.4 r
-1.7
-0.5
8.6

2018 ANNUAL

0.0

1.9

1.9

3.4

1.0

0.1 r
-0.8
1.4
7.3
3.4

-4.0 r
5.7
1.2
1.1
3.0

3.3

-43.3

-0.1

2018 IV
1.9
2.4
0.5
0.9
-0.3
-1.0
3.5
0.5
0.0
0.4
III
5.2
6.3
1.1
2.0
-0.1
-3.0
-2.5
-2.9
12.7
-1.2
II
-2.8
-0.4
2.5
-0.3
-2.5
2.5
5.3
3.4
4.8
3.6
I
1.5
3.3
1.8
9.8
6.3
8.2
1.6
6.0
0.2
5.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percent change from corresponding quarter of previous year
2020 I

1.1

0.6

-0.5

2.6

0.5

1.5

2.9

2.0

-8.4

0.9

2019 ANNUAL

1.9 r

2.8

0.9

3.5 r

1.6 r

1.5

1.6

1.6 r

-5.8 r

0.7

2019 IV
III
II
I

1.9 r
1.5
2.6
1.6

2.8 r
2.2
3.4
3.0

0.9
0.7
0.8
1.4

3.9 r
3.2
3.7
3.0

1.9 r
1.4
1.8
1.3

2.0 r
1.7
1.1
1.4

0.9 r
2.9
0.8
1.8

1.6
2.1
1.0
1.5

-4.8 r
-8.0
-4.4
-5.9

0.9
0.9
0.4
0.7

2018 ANNUAL

0.0

1.9

1.9

3.4

1.0

3.4

3.0

3.3

-1.1

2.8

2018 IV
1.4
2.9
1.5
3.0
0.8
1.6
1.9
1.7
4.3
2.0
III
0.7
2.7
2.0
3.5
0.8
2.7
2.1
2.5
2.2
2.5
II
-1.5
0.6
2.1
3.5
0.8
5.1
4.4
4.9
-5.0
3.6
I
-0.6
1.5
2.2
3.7
1.5
4.4
3.5
4.1
-5.4
2.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indexes 2012=100
2020 I

103.6

117.1

113.0

122.0

108.1

117.7

114.2

116.5

75.1

110.6

2019 ANNUAL

103.1 r

117.3 r

113.7

119.7 r

107.3 r

116.1 r

111.7 r

114.6 r

84.2 r

110.3 r

2019 IV
III
II
I

104.0 r
103.1
102.8
102.5

118.6 r
117.2
116.7
116.4

114.1
113.7
113.5
113.5

120.7 r
119.6
119.6
118.8

107.3 r
106.9
107.4
107.5

116.1 r
116.1
116.3
115.9

111.7 r
112.9
111.3
111.0

114.6 r
115.0
114.7
114.3

86.5 r
83.6
84.4
82.0

110.6
110.5
110.3
109.7

2018 ANNUAL

101.2

114.0

112.7

115.7

105.6

114.3

110.0

112.9

89.3

109.5

2018 IV
102.0
115.4
113.1
116.2
105.3
113.9
110.7
112.8
90.9
109.7
III
101.5
114.7
113.0
115.9
105.4
114.2
109.7
112.7
90.9
109.6
II
100.2
112.9
112.7
115.3
105.5
115.0
110.4
113.5
88.2
109.9
I
101.0
113.0
112.0
115.4
106.1
114.3
109.0
112.6
87.2
108.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See footnotes following Table 6.
June 4, 2020
r=revised
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

-13-

SOURCES: Output data are from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Census Bureau of the U.S.
Department of Commerce; the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor; and the Federal
Reserve Board. Hours and compensation data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of
Economic Analysis.
RELIABILITY: Productivity and cost measures are regularly revised as more complete information
becomes available. The measures are first published within 40 days of the close of the reference period;
revisions appear 30 days later, and second revisions after an additional 60 days. In the business sector,
the third publication (second revision) of a quarterly index of output per hour of all persons has differed
from the initial value by between -1.4 and 1.4 index points approximately 95 percent of the time. This
interval is based on the performance of this measure between the fourth quarter of 1995 and the fourth
quarter of 2019.
Table Footnotes
(1) Wages and salaries of employees plus employers' contributions for social insurance and private
benefit plans. Except for nonfinancial corporations, where there are no self-employed, data also include
an estimate of wages, salaries, and supplemental payments for the self-employed.
(2) The change for recent quarters is based on the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers
(CPI-U). The trend from 1978-2019 is based on the Consumer Price Index research series (CPI-U-RS).
(3) Unit nonlabor payments include profits, consumption of fixed capital, taxes on production and
imports less subsidies, net interest and miscellaneous payments, business current transfer payments,
rental income of persons, and the current surplus of government enterprises.
(4) Current dollar output divided by the output index.
(5) Quarterly changes: Percent change compounded at annual rate is calculated using index numbers to
three decimal places. Indexes published in the news release are rounded to one decimal place for
convenience. Annual changes: Percent change is calculated using annual indexes to three decimal
places.
(6) Unit nonlabor costs include consumption of fixed capital, taxes on production and imports less
subsidies, net interest and miscellaneous payments, and business current transfer payments.
(7) Total unit costs are the sum of unit labor and nonlabor costs.
(8) Unit profits include corporate profits before tax with inventory valuation and capital consumption
adjustment.

-14-