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Productivity:
An International
Perspective
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of L a bor S ta tis tic s
Bulletin 1811
1974




Productivity:
An International
Perspective

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Peter J. Brennan, Secretary
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Julius Shiskin, Commissioner

1974

Bulletin 1811
Prepared by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics
for the National Commission
on Productivity




For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, GPO Bookstores, or
BLS Regional Offices listed on inside back cover. Price $1.25
Stock Number 2901-01333
Make checks payable to Superintendent of Documents.




Users of this chartbook interested in keeping abreast of current information on U.S. and
foreign productivity can find up-to-date statistics on productivity and related subjects in publica­
tions of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Data for the U.S. economy can be found in the Quarterly

Review o f Productivity and Costs, as well as in the monthly Chartbook on Prices, Wages, and
Productivity.

Data for foreign countries are contained in the Handbook o f Labor Statistics and

in occasional reports and releases by the Bureau. These reports are free and are available on
request from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many of the U.S. and foreign series are published
and analyzed from time to time in the Monthly Labor Review, which is available by subscription
from the Superintendent of Documents or from any of the BLS regional offices, listed on the
inside back cover.

Preface




Productivity is a key element influencing many economic variables and the attempt to
increase productivity is a major objective of most governments. The differential rates of produc­
tivity growth experienced by the developed countries in the last two decades have led to major
shifts in relative economic strength and have affected living standards, costs, prices, industrial
structures, trading patterns, and international monetary arrangements.

Information on productivity

in the international area and the factors influencing its growth is, therefore, essential for appro­
priate policy formulation.
This chartbook is designed to provide reasonably consistent data that will permit interna­
tional comparisons of productivity trends and levels along with related factors for selected
countries. The first part covers the basic information on productivity trends and levels; the second
and third show how differences in productivity affect costs and living standards; the fourth traces
trends in various sources of productivity growth.

In general, the countries examined are the major

developed countries-those with which the United States has the greater part of its trade relationships
though a few less developed countries are sometimes included.
International comparisons often lack the precision usually associated with comparable U.S.
measures. Small differences, therefore, may not be significant; however, broad movements should
provide reasonably valid indications. A brief explanation of some of the recurring statistical
problems is included in Appendix A. Supplementary information on specific problems has also
been included in both the textual material and notes to selected tables.
This chartbook was prepared for the National Commission on Productivity. The Commission
was established by the President in 1970, and was given a statutory basis by Congress in 1971.
Composed of business,

labor, government, and public leaders, the Commission develops and pro­

motes programs and policies designed to improve U.S. productivity. One such program is the
dissemination of information about productivity and its implications.
The chartbook was prepared in the Office of Productivity and Technology of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics under the general direction of Jerome A. Mark, Assistant Commissioner.

It was

designed and written by Martha Farnsworth Riche under the direction of Chester Myslicki. Arthur
Neef and staff, under the direction of John H. Chandler, Chief, Division of Foreign Labor Statis­
tics, provided basic data and contributed to the analysis.

Edgar Weinberg, Assistant to the

Executive Director, planned the report on behalf of the National Commission on Productivity.




Trends in real GNP per employed civilian ...............................................................................................................

2

Comparative levels of real GNP per employed civilian ..........................................................................................

4

Trends in output per employed civilian by s e c to r..................................................................................................

6

Levels of food production per person in the farm population ............................................................................

8

Productivity trends in manufacturing

....................................................................................................................

Trends in output per man-hour, output, and man-hours in manufacturing

10

....................................................

12

............................................................................................................

14

Trends in output per man-hour, output, and man-hours in the iron and steel in d u s try .................................

16

P A R T II.

19

Productivity in the iron and steel industry

Im p lic a tio n s o f p ro d u c tiv ity g ro w th fo r costs and prices

.........................................

Trends in output per man-hour, compensation per man-hour, and unit labor costs in manufacturing:
1960-72 .............................................................................................................................................................

20

1960-65 .............................................................................................................................................................

22

1965-70 .............................................................................................................................................................

24

1970-72 .............................................................................................................................................................

26

Levels of output per man-hour, unit labor costs, and hourly labor costs in the iron and steel industry
Compensation in manufacturing and selected industries

. . 28

....................................................................................

30

Trends in consumer prices ..........................................................................................................................................

32

Trends in the GNP implicit price deflator

...............................................................................................................

34

Im p lic a tio n s o f p ro d u c tiv ity g ro w th fo r living s t a n d a r d s .........................................

37

P A R T III.

Comparative levels of real GNP per capita
Trends in real hourly earnings

............................................................................................................

38

..................................................................................................................................

40




The structure of consumer expenditures
Trends in unemployment

..............................................................................................................

42

.........................................................................................................................................

44

School enrollments and education expenditures

.................................................................................................

The contribution of productivity to economic growth

......................................................................................

46
48

PART IV. Factors affecting productivity grow th ................................................................................. 51
Labor
Population, labor force, employment, and u n em p lo ym en t.................................................................................

52

Trends in the industrial structure of employment

..............................................................................................

54

.................................................................................................

56

Capital in v es tm e n t........................................................................................................................................................

58

Some sources of agricultural p ro d u c tiv ity ...............................................................................................................

60

Trends in the sex composition of the labor force
Capital

Technology
Trends in the diffusion of major technological innovations

..............................................................................

62

Research and development: employment and expenditures

..............................................................................

64

Objectives of government research and development expenditures

.................................................................

66

.............................................................................................................................................

68

..................................................................................................................................................

70

A. Supporting tables for charts ...............................................................................................................................

72

B. S o u rc es .....................................................................................................................................................................

79

Trends in patent activity
Energy consumption

APPENDIXES




Productivity is a concept that expresses the relationship between the quantity of goods

PART I.

and services produced-output-and the quantity of labor, capital, land, energy, and other resources

Productivity

output to a single input such as labor or capital, while the other relates output to a composite

that produced it-inputs.

Basically, productivity can be measured in two ways. One way relates

of inputs, combined to reflect their relative importance. The latter type of measure is more

Measures




comprehensive, but it is almost impossible to obtain, in view of the problem of identifying and
measuring all inputs.

For this and other reasons, the most commonly used measure of productivity

relates output to a single input-labor.
One reason for choosing a labor productivity measure is that labor input is more readily
measurable than other inputs.

In addition, labor is the largest cost factor in the economy.

Never­

theless, measures of output per man-hour or output per employee in no way imply that labor
effort is solely or primarily responsible for productivity growth.

In a technologically advanced

society, productivity growth also reflects technological innovation, changes in capital stock and capac­
ity utilization, scale of production, materials flow, management skills, the state of labor relations,
competitive pressure, and many other factors whose contribution often cannot be measured
separately.
The output side of the output per man-hour or output per employee ratio refers to the final
products and services of an entire national economy (including government) or the amount of
value added by an enterprise, industry, or sector. Since few of these entities produce a single
homogeneous commodity that can be measured by simply counting the number of units produced,
the various units of output must be combined on some common basis-either their unit labor
requirements in a base period or their unit value. When the number of units produced is not
known, as is often the case, output must be expressed in terms of the appropriate national
currency, adjusted for price changes whenever necessary. Official U.S. data on productivity
exclude general government.

For this report, government has been included in both the output

and input side for consistency with the other country measures.
Productivity comparisons can be made along two dimensions:

the level of productivity in

different countries at a given time, or the trend in productivity in different countries over a
period of time.

Both dimensions provide useful information and illuminate each other when

studied simultaneously.

For instance, as the charts in this book show, productivity has been

growing at a relatively slow rate in the United States in recent years, but the overall level of
U.S. productivity still surpasses the level attained in other developed countries.

Trends in Real GNP
per Employed
Civilian




At the national level, productivity measures are derived from the gross national product (G N P )expressed in real terms by removing the effect of price changes-and the corresponding civilian em­
ployment.

Although man-hours are a more meaningful measure of labor input than employment,

man-hour indexes are not available for most of the countries compared. Consequently, consistent
productivity comparisons can only be made on the basis of GNP per employee.1
The rate of change in real GNP per employee between 1950 and 1972 varied substantially
among the countries compared.

Productivity grew slowly in Canada, the United States, and the

United Kingdom in comparison with the other countries, especially Japan.
Growth rates varied within this period. The highest rates for the United States spanned the
recession-free years of 1960 through 1965. Japan's rate of productivity growth accelerated over
the period.
These rates of change are based on each country's own combination of its products by its
own set of prices.

If the other countries had used U.S. prices to calculate their national output,

their rates of growth of real GNP per employee would probably have been slightly lower.

Average annual percent change in
real GNP per employed civilian

Country

United States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom

1950-72

1950-60

1960-65

1965-72

2.2
2.6
4.8
5.4
5.4
8.0
2.4

2.1
2.8
4.6
6.8
5.2
6.6
2.1

3.2
2.7
5.2
4.3
5.9
8.7
2.4

1.5
2.2
4.7
4.4
5.4
9.4
2.8

^Output per man-hour changes for the U.S. private economy averaged out at 2.9 percent for the 1950-72
period. The comparable measure for output per employed civilian for the private economy was 2.5 percent.

Chart 1 .

Real GNP per Employed Civilian, 1950-72

JAPAN

IT A L Y
G ERM A N Y
FRANCE

CANADA
U N IT E D KINGDOM
U N IT E D STATES

1950




1955

1960

1965

70 71 72

Comparative Levels
of Real GNP per

Higher rates of change in productivity over a limited time span may not signify higher
productivity levels in one country compared to others if the more rapidly advancing country
starts off at a relatively low level. Productivity levels are difficult to ascertain and ideally require
periodic wide-scale investigations of a complex nature. The best available evidence suggests that
the United States still has the highest level of productivity, even though the gap between the United

Employed Civilian




States and many of the countries compared narrowed significantly between 1950 and 1972. Japan
gained the most over the period, yet its estimated level of productivity in 1972 was among the
lowest of the countries compared.

Alternative estimates for the United Kingdom suggest that its

productivity level may be understated.
As indicated in Appendix A, no use was made of official exchange rates to convert GNP
expressed in foreign currencies into U.S. dollars. Such a procedure is inappropriate and would
lead to extremely erratic movements from year to year.

Chart 2.

Real GNP per Employed Civilian, 1950-72
Indexes, United States = 100




Trends in Output
per Employed
Civilian by

In all the countries analyzed, productivity has grown faster in agriculture than in industry
(mining, manufacturing, and construction) and faster in industry than in services during the past two
decades.
The rate of productivity growth for the economy as a whole reflects not only productivity
changes in the component sectors, but also shifts of employment between sectors with different
levels of productivity.

In this sense, the shift of employment into industry from agriculture, where

productivity levels are relatively low, has contributed to the rise in the overall rate, and shifts into

Sector




services have tended to moderate it.
Output measures for the services sector-especially for the government component-are admit­
tedly weak, which seriously affects international comparisons for this sector. This weakness will also
affect, though to a lesser extent, comparisons at the level of the total economy as well.

Chart 3.

Output per Employed Civilian, by Sector, 1950-71
(Average Annual Rate of Change)
IN D U S TR Y

TO TA L
U N IT E D STATES
C A NA D A
FR AN C E1
G ER M A N Y

li.v l.' j.' ii.'
■ r -v - v .v .i.

IT A L Y 2
U N IT E D KINGDOM
1 ........... * * M *

A G R IC U LTU R E

SERVICES

■

*r

2
11955-71
2 1951-71




3

4

Percent

5

6

Levels of Food
Production per

The average person tends to regard developed countries as leaders in industry and to think of
developing countries as suppliers of raw materials and agricultural produce.

However, the rough

estimates available clearly show the advantages the United States has over other major economic
areas in food production per person in the farm population.

In 1970, Western Europe was at a

level about one-fifth that of the United States. Other developed countries were at less than 10 per­

Person in the Farm

cent of the U.S. level and the developing countries and Communist Asia at about 1 percent. This

Population

to enjoy a higher standard of Jiving with respect to food than the developing countries, where over




differential allowed the United States, where less than 5 percent of the population are on the farm,
60 percent of the population are on the farm.
The world level is affected primarily by the data for the less developed countries, as more
than 90 percent of the world farm population reside in these areas.

Food Production per Person in the Farm Population, 1970
Indexes, United States = 100

U N IT E D STATES

WESTERN EUROPE

OTHER
D EVELO PED COUNTRIES

LESS
D EVELOPED COUNTRIES

CO M M U N IST ASIA

W ORLD




Productivity Trends
in Manufacturing




Growth in manufacturing productivity between 1960 and 1972 varied substantially among the
countries whose productivity is compared regularly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Between 1960

and 1972, average annual gains in output per man-hour ranged from 3.2 percent in the United States
to 10.4 percent in Japan.
The largest spread in productivity growth rates among the countries compared existed between
1965 and 1970; during this period, manufacturing productivity grew 2.0 percent a year in the United
States and 13.4 percent a year in Japan. The economic recovery that began late in 1970 brought
about a substantial improvement in U.S. productivity growth:

Though productivity still grew at a

faster rate in some of the other countries between 1970 and 1972, the margins by which these rates
exceeded the U.S. rate were reduced significantly.
Output per man-hour measures for manufacturing in the past were often limited to production
worker man-hours. These latter rates tend to be higher than the comparable rates for all persons in
the United States and most of the countries studied in this report.

Country

United States
Canada
European Economic
Community (5 countries)
Belgium
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Japan
Sweden
United Kingdom

Average annual percent change in output per
man-hour in manufacturing
1960-72

1960-65

1965-70

1970-72

3.2
4.2

4.3
4.4

2.0
4.4

6.2
5.0

6.0
6.5
5.9
5.8
6.1
7.1
10.4
7.3
4.0

5.9
5.1
4.9
6.4
6.8
5.2
8.5
7.6
4.1

6.1
7.7
6.5
5.6
5.3
8.5
13.4
7.5
3.7

6.0
7.3
6.0
6.0
5.6
6.5
6.8
5.2
5.6

Output per Man-Hour in Manufacturing, 1960-72
Indexes, 1960 = 100




Trends in Output per
Man-Hour, Output,
_

_ _

and Man-Hours in
Manufacturing




Output changes in manufacturing among all the industrial countries reviewed were more
volatile than productivity movements.

For all the countries on the European continent, however,

the range within which output rates and productivity rates fell was relatively narrow.
Man-hour changes ranged from modest increases where output rates exceeded productivity to
modest declines where productivity exceeded output.

Chart 6.

Output per Man-Hour, Output, and Man-Hours
in Manufacturing, 1960-72
(Average Annual Rate of Change)
OUTPUT PER MAN-HOUR

U N IT E D STATES
BELGIUM
C A NA D A
FRANCE
GERMANY
IT A L Y
JAPAN
N ETH ER LA N D S
SWEDEN
U N IT E D K ING DO M




12
Percent

Productivity in the
Iron and Steel
Industry




Productivity growth in the U.S. iron and steel industry lagged behind the rates attained in
other major steel-producing countries between 1964 and 1972.

In 1964, output per man-hour was

about 60 percent of the U.S. level in Germany and about 50 percent in France, Japan, and the
United Kingdom.

In 1972, though labor productivity in the British steel industry was still only

about half the U.S. level, the French industry was up to two-thirds the U.S. level, the German to
about four-fifths, and the Japanese appear to have exceeded it.
A significant determinant of the variation in productivity rates is the variation in output
growth.

Japanese iron and steel output more than doubled in 8 years, while U.S. output grew less

than 5 percent and United Kingdom output declined.
increased more than 20 percent over the period.

Iron and steel output in France and Germany

Chart 7 .

Relative Levels of Output per Man-Hour
in the Iron and Steel Industry, 1964-1972




trends in Output
per Man-Hour,
Output, and
Man-Hours in the
Iron and Steel
Industry




Variation among countries in rates of iron and steel output for the 1964-72 period was an
important determinant of productivity change. Japan had a substantial lead in rates of output and
output per man-hour.

Both the United States and the United Kingdom experienced decreasing out­

put and low productivity gains.
Employment levels dropped in 4 out of 5 countries and barely increased in Japan.

Chart 8.

Output per Man-Hour, Output, and Man-Hours in the Iron
and Steel Industry, 1964-72
(Average Annual Rate of Change)




OUTPUT PER MAN-HOUR

OUTPUT

-3
Percent

MAN-HOURS

-3
Percent

0
Percent

3

Digitized
18 for FRASER


PART II. Implications
of Productivity

Productivity movements have an important influence on cost and price stability. This aspect
of productivity change stems from the fact that output per man-hour is a critical link between the
cost of labor and the price of goods.
In many industries, labor costs, including hourly rates of pay, overtime, and all types of fringe
benefits, are the largest element in the value added by the industry. Consequently, the trend of

Growth for Costs
and Prices




labor costs per unit of output plays a major role in determining price changes.

If the effect of an

increase in hourly compensation can be minimized by a large increase in productivity, pressure to
increase prices will be lessened, although increases in profits or materials costs per unit may parti­
ally or wholly offset this effect.
In turn, prices affect costs. Those price increases which are attributed to demand increases
tend to boost costs, as producers are now able to compete more vigorously for labor and materials.
At the international level, relative cost changes are of great importance.

If costs go up more

in one country than in others, the resultant impact on exports and imports can worsen that coun­
try's international reserve position and lead to pressures to devalue its currency. Governments may
try to offset the influence of cost differentials by granting subsidies and raising tariffs.

Trends in Output
per Man-Hour,

Unit labor costs in manufacturing, expressed in terms of U.S. dollars, rose about 2 percent
a year in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom between 1960 and 1972.

Increases in

unit labor costs in manufacturing in the other countries ranged from 2.7 percent in France to 5.4
percent in the Netherlands over the same period. The relatively small rise in unit labor costs in
the United States and Canada was primarily due to relatively lower rates of increase in hourly com­

Compensation per
Man-Hour, and Unit
Labor Costs in
Manufacturing,
1960-72




pensation; in the United Kingdom, it also reflected the currency devaluation. Taking the 1960-72
period as a whole tends to obscure divergent movements; therefore, three subperiods are shown in
the following charts.

Output per Man-Hour, Compensation per Man-Hour,
and Unit Labor Costs in Manufacturing, 1960-72
(Average Annual Rate of Change)




U N IT LABOR COSTS

U N IT E D STATES

^^CO M PENSATIO N PER MAN-HOUR

NATIONAL CURRENCY

us.' DOLLARS

BELGIUM
CANADA
FRANCE
G ERM A N Y
IT A L Y
JAPAN
N ETH ER LA ND S
SWEDEN
U N IT E D KINGDOM

15

10

Trends in Output per
Man-Hour,
Compensation per
Man-Hour, and Unit
Labor Costs in
Manufacturing,
1960-65




Between 1960 and 1965, unit labor costs in manufacturing declined in the United States
and Canada. Gains in productivity in these countries, though relatively low, were still sufficient to
more than offset the relatively small increases in compensation per man-hour.
man-hour grew much more in the other countries compared.

Compensation per

Output per Man-Hour, Compensation per Man-Hour,
and Unit Labor Costs in Manufacturing, 1960-65
(Average Annual Rate of Change)




U N IT LABOR COSTS
IOUTPUT PER MAN-HOUR
ICOMPENSATION PER MAN-HOUR

■ n a t io n a l c u r r e n c y
E j u .s . d o l l a r s

U N IT E D STATES
BELGIUM
CANADA
FRANCE
G ERM A N Y
IT A L Y
JAPAN
N ETH ER LA ND S
SWEDEN
U N IT E D KINGDOM

5

10
Percent

5

-5

10

Trends in Output

Unit labor costs in manufacturing, measured in national currencies, rose more in the United
States between 1965 and 1970 than in Canada, Japan, or Western Europe.

Hourly compensation

rose over 6 percent a year in the United States, while output per man-hour increased only 2 percent

per Man-Hour,
Compensation per

countries had larger percentage increases in hourly compensation than the United States, but they

Man-Hour, and Unit

large as the United States because their currencies were revalued during the period. Similarly, the

a year. The result was an average rise in U.S. unit labor costs of 4 percent a year. All of the foreign
also had faster rates of productivity growth.
On a U.S. dollar basis, Canada and Germany had rates of increase in unit labor costs about as

Labor Costs in
Manufacturing,
1965-70




United Kingdom had a decline in unit labor costs and France a relatively small increase because they
devalued their currencies.

Chart 1 1 .

Output per Man-Hour, Compensation per Man-Hour,
and Unit Labor Costs in Manufacturing, 1965-70
(Average Annual Rate of Change)




U N IT LABOR COSTS

I
U N IT E D STATES
BELGIUM
CANADA
FRANCE
G ERM A N Y
IT A L Y
JAPAN
N ETH ER LA N D S
SWEDEN
U N IT E D KINGDOM

-5

0
Percent

I

NATIONAL CURRENCY
U.S. DOLLARS

Trends in Output
per Man-Hour,
Compensation per

Beginning in 1970, the position of U.S. unit labor costs relative to other industrial countries
improved. This reversal was due to a speedup in output per man-hour in the United States and
sharp increases in hourly compensation in most of the other countries. Though productivity
continued to grow at a faster rate in most of the foreign countries than in the United States,
growth rates in hourly compensation abroad exceeded productivity growth rates by a wider margin
than was the case in the United States.
The relative cost position of the United States was further improved by the general realignment

Man-Hour, and

of the world's major currencies that took place in 1971. After taking these changes in currency values

Unit Labor Costs

percent in Canada to 18 percent in Japan, compared with 0.4 percent in the United States.

in Manufacturing,

1970-72




into account, the average 1970-72 rates of increase in unit labor costs abroad ranged from about 5

Chart 1 2 .

Output per Man-Hour, Compensation per Man-Hour,
and Unit Labor Costs in Manufacturing, 1970-72
(Average Annual Rate of Change)




U N IT LABOR COSTS
IOUTPUT PER MAIM-HOUR
ICOMPENSATION PER MAN-HOUR

U N IT E D STATES
BELGIUM
C A NADA
FRANCE
G ERM A N Y
IT A L Y
JAPAN
NETH ER LA ND S
SWEDEN
U N IT E D KINGDOM

20

10

Percent

15

20

Levels of Output
per Man-Hour, Unit
Labor Costs, and
Hourly Labor
Costs in the

International comparisons are preferably based not only on a knowledge of relative trends in
productivity and unit labor costs but also on a knowledge of relative levels.

However, the iron and

steel industry is the only major industry for which information on relative levels is regularly
available.

Even here the scarcity of information means that the different products of each country's

steel industry must be combined according to their labor requirements in the U.S. industry.
Though hourly labor costs in steel remained substantially higher in the United States than in
the other countries between 1964 and 1972, the gap between them narrowed over the period. Con­
sequently, unit labor costs in three of the four foreign iron and steel industries compared were
within 60 to 90 percent of U.S. levels.

In the fourth country, Japan, unit labor costs declined

relative to the United States. The Japanese iron and steel industry was the only one where
productivity levels rose to equal or perhaps surpass those recorded for the U.S. industry.
Unit labor costs should not be regarded as a direct measure of price competitiveness, since

Iron and Steel
Industry




materials, electricity, and capital costs must be taken into account along with relevant transportation
and trade costs. An analysis of trade movements would also require consideration of governmental
actions such as subsidies to increase exports or actions to decrease imports by use of tariffs and
quotas.

Finally, indexes which reflect the total range of industry products do not necessarily apply

to each individual product.

Chart 1 3 .

Relative Output per Man-Hour, Unit Labor Costs, and Hourly
Labor Costs in the Iron and Steel Industry, 1964-72
Indexes, United States = 100

O U TPU T
PER M AN -H O U R

U N IT
LABOR COSTS

H O U R LY
LABOR COSTS




1964

72

1964

72

1964

12

1964

72

Compensation in
Manufacturing

The preceding charts show how unit labor costs are directly affected by both productivity
and hourly compensation. Thus, in the absence of productivity data, a comparison of compensa­
tion from country to country provides only a partial though still useful insight into relative costs.
In manufacturing as a whole, as well as in three industries in which imports to the United
States are important, compensation was higher in the United States in 1972 than in the other countries

and Selected
Industries




compared.

However, the differences among countries varied according to industry; they were substan­

tial in the motor vehicles industry, but less pronounced in the apparel and textile industries.

Chart 1 4 .

Hourly Compensation of Wage Earners
in Manufacturing and Selected Industries, 1972
MOTOR VEH IC LES

M A N U FA C TU R IN G
^ / .y .y x v ;v A V 'X v > ^ ‘- X * X v v .;..v .v .v




• X - X v X .v

$

.1.................. J ............ , . . J .................. J ....................1.

U N IT E D STATES
BELGIUM
C A NA D A
FRANCE
G ER M A N Y
IT A L Y
JAPAN
N ETH ER LA N D S
SWEDEN
U N IT E D KINGDOM

XZI
I
LZZ

pry
APPAREL

T EX TILES
U N IT E D STATES
BELGIUM
CANA D A
FRANCE
G ERM A N Y
ISRAEL
IT A L Y
JAPAN
KOREA
N ETH ER LA ND S
U N IT E D KINGDOM
0

1

2

3

4

U.S. Dollars

5

6

7

Trends in
Consumer Prices




Consumer prices are determined by demand and supply pressures and also by autonomous
factors such as taxes, rent controls, and other governmental rulings. Thus, changes in food supplies,
import prices, and general monetary and fiscal policies all affect consumer prices.
Productivity growth can moderate consumer price increases.

For example, when productivity

growth keeps pace with hourly labor costs, unit labor costs remain the same.
In most countries, prices of services rose more than commodity prices between I960 and 1972.
This situation resulted in large part from the faster rates of productivity growth in the industrial
and agricultural sectors than in the services sector.
Within commodity groupings, prices rose more for food items than for nonfood items.
Several reasons make it impossible to relate these differentials to the differences between industrial
and agricultural productivity rates. Most consumer food items are processed and final prices include
not only payments to farmers but also manufacturing, trade, and transportation costs.

In addition,

some countries like the United States are primarily exporters of agricultural products, while other
countries like Japan are primarily importers.
Comparative rates of increase in consumer prices also reflect differences in expenditure patterns.
In countries where services are particularly important and where their prices are rising rapidly, as in
the United States, the overall rate of consumer prices will be forced up more than in countries where
services account for a smaller proportion of consumer expenditures.

In countries where food accounts

for a larger proportion of consumer expenditures and food prices are increasing faster than the
average prices of nonfood items, as in Japan, there will also be greater pressure on the overall rate.

Average annual percent change in consumer prices

Country

1960-72

United States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom
1Not Available

All items

Services

2.9
2.8
4.3
3.2
4.2
5.8
4.7

4.0
3.6
6.6
5.3
6.1
7.0
1

Commodities
Food Nonfood
2.1
2.6
3.0
1.8
3.0
4.8
2.6
2.3
2.9
3.8
6.4
3.6
1
4.8

1960-65

1965-72

All items

All items

1.3
1.6
3.8
3.0
4.9
6.2
3.5

4.1
3.8
4.7
3.4
3.6
5.4
5.6

Chart 1 5 .

Consumer Prices, 1960-72
Indexes, 1960 = 100




Trends in the GNP
Implicit Price

The implicit price deflator is the overall price index for a national economy; it is implied when
the gross national product (GNP) is estimated in terms of constant as well as current values.
estimation is necessary to separate real growth from apparent growth due to price inflation.
Trends in the GNP implicit price deflator between-1960 and 1972 by and large paralleled
trends in the consumer price index for the countries compared:

Deflator




Such

least in the United States and Canada.

The deflator rose most in Japan,

However, consumer prices in Japan rose much more than the

GNP deflator did, because the prices of capital investment goods, which make up a large proportion
of the Japanese deflator, rose only moderately.

In Germany, on the other hand, the GNP deflator

rose faster than the consumer price index because of a rapid rise in the price of government consump­
tion expenditures, supplemented by a faster rise in the prices of capital investment goods than of
consumption goods. To a large extent the same disparity occured for the same reasons in France
and Italy.
The GNP deflators for the United States and Canada were much lower than for other countries
during 1960-65.

However, sharp increases occurred for the two countries from 1965 to 1972.

The GNP deflator differs from the consumer price index for several reasons.

It is more compre­

hensive in its inclusion of government expenditures, capital investment, and the net foreign balance,
and often covers a wider population base for consumer expenditures.

The GNP deflator is also

influenced by shifts in expenditures.

Average annual percent change in GNP implicit price deflator
Country

United States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom

1960-72

1960-65

1965-72

2.9
3.1
4.5
4.0
4.8
4.8
4.7

1.4
1.8
4.1
3.6
5.5
5.0
3.4

4.0
4.1
4.8
4.3
4.3
4.7
5.9

Chart 1 6 .

Implicit Price Deflator for GNP, 1960-72
Indexes, 1960 = 100





36


PART ill.
Implications of
Productivity Growth

Productivity growth means essentially that resources are being used more efficiently to produce
a nation's goods and services-an achievement which is a key factor in obtaining higher levels of
economic well-being and national strength. What a nation produces or obtains through trade allows
it to consume or invest that much more.

As productivity goes up, a country can obtain more output

for the same labor input and consequently can offer its citizens more to consume.
This increase in real purchasing power, whether measured for the population as a whole-real
GNP per capita-or for 1 man-hour-real hourly compensation-shows up in the structure of consumer

for Living Standards




expenditures.

In countries with higher standards of living, consumers need to devote a smaller pro­

portion of their income to essentials such as food and clothing.
Productivity increases may also improve living standards by increasing the leisure time granted
the work force. Thus, two potential benefits of productivity are alternatives:

An increase in output

per man-hour means either that a given amount of labor time can produce more output, or that a
given amount of output can be produced with less labor time.

Less labor time may be realized

through shorter work weeks, reductions in employment-often by means of longer schooling and
earlier retirement-or increased vacation time.

The prospect of reducing labor time through reduc­

tions in employment is a matter of concern to workers when unemployment is already high, but
experience has shown that productivity growth often goes hand in hand with increased employment.

Comparative Levels
of Real GNP per
Capita




Probably the most important consequence of productivity growth is the effect it has on real
product per capita. The degree of productivity improvement determines in large part the increase
in the amount of goods produced and thus available for purchase by each member of the population.
Under the influence of high rates of productivity growth, real product per person rose rapidly
relative to the United States in Germany, France, Japan, and Italy between 1950 and 1972.

By 1972,

real product per person had reached at least four-fifths of the U.S. level in three countries:

Canada,

Germany, and France.
Though productivity growth is the major factor influencing trends in product per capita, it
is not the only one. The proportion of the population in the labor force, the proportion
of the labor force that is employed, and average hours per worker all interact with productivity to
determine product per capita.

Chart 1 7 .

Real GNP per Capita, 1950-72
Indexes, United States = 100




Trends in Real
Hourly Earnings




Although GNP per capita is considered the most relevant measure of real purchasing power, the
growth in real hourly earnings for manufacturing employees - hourly compensation adjusted to take
account of changes in purchasing power - is also of interest.

Differences between GNP per capita

and real hourly earnings may reflect changes in factors such as the proportion of workers in the
population, hours of work, the distribution of income between labor and nonlabor services, shifts
of GNP towards or from such items as national defense, and investment expenditures which do not
show up in the consumer market basket used to adjust hourly earnings. The fastest growth in real
hourly earnings in manufacturing between I960 and 1972 took place in the countries where manufac­
turing productivity grew the fastest.

Average annual percent change in real hourly earnings
Country

United States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom

1960-72

1960-65

1.4
2.8
4.5
5.4
6.9
7.8
3.3

1.6
1.8
3.3
6.4
6.6
5.3
2.4

1965-72
1.4
3.6
5.4
4.7
7.2
9.6
4.0

Chart 1 8 ,

Real Hourly Earnings of Manufacturing Wage
Earners, 1960-72
JAPAN
IT A L Y

G ERM A N Y
FRANCE

U N IT E D KINGDOM
C A NADA

U N IT E D STATES

I9 6 0




62

64

66

68

70

72

The Structure
of Consumer
Expenditures




Levels of productivity combine with other economic and social factors to shape the structure
of consumer expenditures. The proportion of consumer expenditures going to food is often cited as
reflecting the influence of productivity differentials.

In the United States, where productivity levels

were the highest, consumers devoted proportionally half as much to food expenditures in 1971 as
they did in Italy, where productivity levels were among the lowest of the countries compared.
Differences in the proportion of expenditures on housing and transportation and communication were
also great, but factors such as personal preferences, geography, and government policy were probably
more important than productivity in causing these differentials.

Distribution of Consumer Expenditures, 1971
Percent Distribution

11970




U N ITED STATES

FRANCE

G ERM A N Y

IT A L Y

JAPAN1

U N IT E D KINGDOM

HOUSING

EDUCATION AND
RECREATION

TRANSPORTATION AND
COMM UNICATION

OTHER EXPENDITURES

Trends in
Unemployment




Productivity growth has sometimes been associated with worker displacement, and sometimes
with increases in employment.

In countries where productivity information is available for individual

industries, as in the United States, the data show that productivity growth more often than not has
been associated with employment growth.
On the international level, the relationship between productivity growth and unemployment
rates is not clear.

However, it is often thought that countries where productivity is rising will have

low unemployment, because productivity growth is generally associated with increases in output
which generally also result in increases in employment.
Chart 20 suggests that there may be some merit to this analysis. The countries where unem­
ployment has been consistently low-Germany, Japan, and France-are countries where productivity
has made rapid advances, as shown in chart 1. The countries where unemployment has been con­
sistently high-the United States and Canada-are countries where productivity has been growing
relatively slowly.

Nevertheless, one should be cautious about inferring a direct relationship, as

many other factors are involved. Perhaps such a relationship represents the favorable effect of low
unemployment rates on productivity rates.

Average unemployment rates (percent)

Country

Urtited States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom

1960-72

1960-64

1965-72

5.0
5.4
2.2
.6
3.6
1.3
3.5

5.7
6.0
1.7
.5
3.4
1.4
2.6

4.6
5.0
2.3
.7
3.8
1.3
3.9

Chart 20.

Unemployment Rates, 1960-72
Percent




School Enrollments
and Education
Expenditures




The proportion of young people enrolled in school and the proportion of GNP devoted to
education indirectly reflect the rate of productivity growth. A high level of productivity permits
a nation to divert some of its resources from immediate production to purposes such as education.
In turn, the consequent improvement in labor quality will increase productivity levels when the
young people enter the production process.
The countries with the highest levels of productivity.-the United States and Canada-had the
largest proportion of young people enrolled in school at all levels in 1969. These two countries
also devoted the largest share of GNP to public expenditures on education.

School Enrollments and Education Expenditures, 1969
SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS
(Percent of School-Age Population)

30

60

Percent
1 Public University Enrollment Only
2 Ministry of Education Expenditures Only
3 1967
Source:




United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization

PUBLIC EDUCATION EXPENDITURES
(Percent of GNP)

The Contribution
of Productivity to
Economic Growth




Economic growth refers to the increase in the output of an economy. This increase can occur
only if inputs such as employment increase or if productivity increases.
Productivity increases made the major contribution to economic growth between 1950 and
1972.

Productivity growth accounted for at least half the total growth in all of the countries compared,

and for the entire growth in Italy. These data suggest that, for developed countries, growth rates are
more influenced by productivity changes than by population increases.

Chart 22.

Contribution of Growth in Output per Employee to
Growth in Real G N P, 1950-72
Percentage Points

10

U N IT E D STATES




CANADA

FRANCE

GERMANY

IT A L Y

JAPAN

U N IT E D KINGDOM


50


PART IV.
Factors Affecting
Productivity

The factors which influence changes in productivity vary from the short to the long term. Short­
term movements in productivity are directly related to the business cycle as labor inputs tend to lag
behind demand changes.
Improvements in the quality of labor, increased availability of capital, and advances in technology
constitute the basic sources of growth in output per unit of labor input.

Other sources include

improvements in the allocation of resources, increased economies of scale, and advances in managerial
know-how. All of these factors are so interrelated that it is difficult to determine the separate effect

Growth




of each one. Consequently, the charts that follow show changes in some of the factors that affect
productivity, without attempting to assess the extent of their influence.
In a dynamic economy, the interaction between factors affecting productivity and factors
affected by productivity make it often seem valid to include the same data under either heading. Thus,
expenditures on education and capital investment are both a result of past productivity gains and a
force tending to increase future productivity rates.

Likewise, energy consumption per capita is a

measure of past growth and an indicator of technological progress and increased capital investment.
Changes in the type of labor input affect productivity growth.

An increase in the educational

attainment of the labor force can spur productivity by improving the quality of the labor input.

A

change in the labor supply, such as that represented by the changing labor force participation of women
in many countries, may also influence productivity change. Shifts of employment between sectors of
the economy affect productivity to the extent that productivity levels in the sectors where employment
is expanding differ from those where it is contracting.
Capital investment has made an important contribution to productivity improvement in indus­
trialized countries, in large part because the amount of capital supporting each worker has grown substan­
tially.
Land, or natural resources, tends to be ignored as a factor in the growth of national productivity.
Land, which is essentially constant, can be important in explaining the differences in productivity levels
between countries, especially for agricultural production.
Technological change is the other important source of productivity growth. Some indicators of
technological change include research and development (R&D) programs, diffusion of selected innovations,
patent activities, and energy consumption.

The relations between population, labor force, and productivity growth are unclear.

Population,

Between

I960 and 1972, labor force participation rates (labor force as a percent of working age population)
declined in all major industrial countries except the United States and Canada.

Labor Force,

In both of these

countries, the increase was entirely due to a significant rise in female labor force participation,
particularly on the part of married women.

Employment, and
Unemployment

studied.

Male participation rates declined in all the countries

Migration from rural to urban areas in Japan and Italy contributed to a sharp decline in

participation rates, as many women and children who formerly worked as unpaid farm laborers
withdrew from the labor force when their families left agriculture.
Changes in the proportion of the working age population in the labor force and in the propor­
tion of the labor force employed have more of an effect on economic grow th-G NP-than on productivity
growth-GNP per employee.

If more of the population works, the national product will grow, though

the amount of growth will depend on how efficient the additional workers are.

Country

United States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom

Working age population1
as percent of
civilian population

Civilian labor force as
percent of working
age population

Percent of civilian
labor force
Employed
Unemployed

1960

1972 2

1960

1972 2

1960

1972

1960

65.8
66.5
69.2
78.6
76.4
69.9
76.6

69.4
72.3
71.7
77.5
76.9
75.2
75.8

59.4
54.2
62.0
60.0
54.8
67.9
60.4

60.4
56.5
58.1
57.0
47.4
63.7
59.9

94.5
93.0
97.8
99.2
95.7
98.3
97.7

94.4
93.7
97.8
99.3
96.6
98.6
93.7

5.5
7.0
2.2
.8
4.3
1.7
2.3

^Sixteen and over in the United States and France; 15 and over in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom; 14 and over in Canada and Italy.
21970 for France and Italy; 1971 for Germany.




1972 2
5.6
6.3
2.2
.7
3.4
1.4
6.3

Work Status of the Civilian Population, 1972
Percent Distribution

GERM ANY2

EMPLOYED
UNEMPLOYED
OF WORKING AGE
BUT NOT IN THE
LABOR FORCE
NOT OF WORKING AGE

U N IT E D
KINGDOM

1970
'1971




Trends in the
Industrial Structure
of Employment




Shifts of employment from one sector to another reflect different rates of change in demand
and productivity.

In turn, these shifts affect overall rates of change in productivity and economic

growth.
From 1950 to 1970 the most pronounced shifts out of agriculture took place in Italy and Japan;
in 1950, these two countries were the least developed of the countries compared.
almost all the countries compared had large shifts into services.

During the period

By 1970, the employment structures

of the six countries resembled each other considerably more than they had in 1950.

Country

United States
Canada
Germany
Italy1
Japan
United Kingdom
11951-70

Change in share of total employment by sector, 1950-70
(in percentage points)
Agriculture

Industry

Services

- 7.8
-15.2
-13.7
-25.7
-26.2
- 2.4

- 0.5
- 4.3
6.4
13.1
12.1
- 1.5

8.3
19.5
7.3
12.0
14.1
4.0

Distribution of Civilian Employment by Economic Sector,
1950-70
Percent
1950

1970

1950

1970

1970

1950

SERVICES

..

a

INDUSTRY
AGRICULTURE

U N IT E D STATES

100

1951

1970

G ERM A N Y

C A NA D A
1950

1970

1950

1970

50

0L




IT A L Y

JAPAN

U N IT E D KINGDOM

Trends in the Sex
Composition of
the Labor Force




Changes in the sex composition of the labor force can affect productivity to the extent that
they promote or retard the more efficient utilization of the labor force.

Such changes are almost

always accompanied by changes in the total labor supply, as well as by shifts in age composition.
Women make up a potential source of new labor force entrants, as family and social
responsibilities until recently limited their participation in industrialized economies. Technological
progress has both eased the burdens associated with these responsibilities and diminished the pro­
portion of jobs that require great physical strength.
Women are an extremely important source of labor supply since male participation rates have
been declining in all of the countries studied as a result of longer schooling and earlier retirement.
The higher proportion of females in the labor force in the United States, the United Kingdom, and
Canada in 1971 reflect both higher participation rates for women and lower rates for men compared
with I960.

The lower rates reflect movement out of agriculture where women are an important part

of the work force.

Country

Change in proportion of women
in civilian labor force, 1960-71
(in percentage points)

United States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom

4.8
7.0
-1.31
-1.3
-2.4
-1.8
2.1

10ctober 1960 to March 1967

Chart 25.

Women as a Percent of the Total Civilian Labor Force,
1960 and 1971
Percent

U N IT E D STATES




CANADA

FRANCE

G ER M A N Y

IT A L Y

JAPAN

U N IT E D KINGDOM

Since growth in output per man-hour is closely related to the amount of capital stock supporting

Capital

each worker, a high ratio of capital investment to output is a precursor of growth in productivity.

investment

additions to capital stock as well as replacements, comparing rates of capital investment fails to take




However, too much of a correlation should not be expected.
into account differences in the capital stock already in use.

Since capital investment refers to
In addition, the lags that exist between

the decision to invest in new capital stock, its installation, and the realization of productivity gains
tend to obscure the relationship between investment and productivity in country-to-country compari­
sons.

Nevertheless, chart 26 shows a surprising correlation between the rates of growth in productivity

and capital investment in manufacturing over a short period of time.
During the !960's, Japan had the highest rate of investment as well as the highest rate of
productivity gain. Yet the United States, which has the highest level of productivity, also has the
highest level of capital stock per worker, according to the scant data available.

Chart 26.

Growth in the Output per Man-Hour in Manufacturing
and Rate of Capital Investment
O U TPU T PER M AN-HOUR, 1960-72
(Average Annual Percent Change)




C A PITA L IN VE STM EN T AS PERCENT
OF OUTPUT, 1960-71 AVERAGE

U N IT E D STATES
BELGIUM
CANADA
FRANCE
G ERM A N Y
IT A L Y
JAPAN
NETH ER LA ND S
SWEDEN
U N IT E D KINGDOM

12

0

10

20
Percent

30

Some Sources
of Agricultural
Productivity




Three types of data highlight some of the reasons for the U.S. advantage in food output per
person in 1970: agricultural land available per farm person, fertilizer usage per farm person, and
tractors per farm person.

None of the geographic areas shown reached even one-fourth of the U.S.

level for any of the three measures.

Chart 2 7 .

Factors Affecting Agricultural Productivity, 1970
A G R IC U LTU R A L L A N D 1
PER PERSON
IN FARM POPULATION

F E R T IL IZ E R USAGE 2
PER PERSON
IN FA R M POPULATION

U N IT E D STATES

WESTERN EUROPE
OTHER
D EVELO PED CO UNTRIES
C O M M U N IST A SIA
OTHER LESS
D EVELO PED C O UNTRIES
W ORLD

0
1 LATEST YEAR
2 1970/71
3 1971




10

20

100

Indexes, United States = 100

TRACTORS IN U S E 3
PER PERSON
IN FARM POPULATION

Trends in the
Diffusion of Major
Technological
Innovations




Productivity growth is directly affected by the rate of acceptance of new technology.
Researchers generally agree that the rate of diffusion of new technology varies considerably within
and between industries and countries, but disagree as to the specific factors causing this variation
and their relative importance.

Factors which reportedly affect the diffusion rate include the cost and

profitability of the innovation, the growth of multinational corporations, and the size of the firm.
Productivity improvement that results from technological change is an important element in
international competition.

Information available for three major technological innovations of the

post-World War II period shows that the United States led other major industrial countries in both
computer installations and the production of numerically controlled machine tools, but that it
trailed Japan and Germany in the proportion of steel produced in basic oxygen furnaces.

Chart 28.

Diffusion of Three Innovations
V A L U E OF
N U M E R IC A L L Y CONTROLLED
M AC H IN E TOOL PRODUCTION,
1967

PROPORTION OF STEEL
OUTPUT PRODUCED IN
BASIC O XYGEN FURNACES,
1960 AND 1972

ELECTRONIC
D IG IT A L COMPUTERS
IN USE,
1965 A N D 1971

0

0

U N IT E D
STATES
CANADA

N O T A V A IL A B L E

FRANCE
GERMANY
IT A L Y
JAPAN
SWEDEN
U N IT E D
K ING DO M
0
1ig63

20

40

Source: Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development




60

280

Millions of Dollars

300

20

40
Percent

Source: United Nations

60

80

10

20

30

80

90

Thousands
Sources: U.S.-EDP Industry Report, March
1972. Other Countries- National Bureau of
Standards, EDP Industry Report, December 1971,
and Japan Information Processing Center

Expenditures for research and development (R&D) can generate increases in productivity through

Research and

the development and subsequent application of more efficient equipment, processes, and products.

Development:

of GNP on R&D in 1971, the most recent year for which data are available, while Italy assigned the

Chart 29 shows that the most advanced economy - the United States - spent the largest proportion
smallest proportion to it (1969). The three countries with the highest rates of spending on R&D were

Employment and
Expenditures




also countries with large expenditures in the military sector, which accounts for a major portion of
R&D activity.
Another measure of potential growth in productivity is the proportion of scientists and engineers
in the population engaged in R&D. The United States and Japan led in the employment of scientists
and engineers.

Chart 29.

Research and Development: Employment and
Expenditures, 1971
SCIENTISTS A ND ENGINEERS ENGAGED
IN R&D PER 1 0 ,0 0 0 POPULATION

R&D EXPEND ITU R ES AS
PERCENT OF GNP

U N IT E D STATES

C A NA D A

FRANCE

G ERM A N Y
IT A L Y

JAPAN

U N IT E D KINGDOM

0

10

20

30

Percent

Sources: National Science Foundation and Organisation for Economic Development and Co-operation




Percent

Objectives of
Government

The effect of research and development programs upon productivity is determined in part by the
allocation of governmental expenditures among major objectives. The United States and the United
Kingdom, which had the lowest rates of productivity growth of the countries compared, devoted the
highest proportion of R&D expenditures to national defense. Japan, with the highest rate of produc­
tivity growth, spent very little on national defense or space; well over half its total expenditures went

Research
and Development
Expenditures




towards the advancement of science.

Chart 30.

Government Expenditures for R&D by National Objective,
1969
Percent Distribution
U N IT E D STATES

FRANCE

G ERM A N Y

C O M M UNITY
SERVICES
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
NUCLEAR

JAPAN

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development




ENT
VZZZA ADVANCEM
OF SCIENCE
MISCELLANEOUS

Trends in Patent
Activity




Patent activity in the United States can be regarded as an indicator of technological innovation
throughout the world since foreign concerns tend to file applications here to protect their more important
inventions. The proportions of patents issued to foreign residents rose steadily between 1963 and 1971.
Four countries accounted for more than half of the total.

Germany ranked consistently highest among

the four; however, Japan evidenced the greatest rate of increase.

Chart 3 1 .

Percent of U.S. Patents Issued to Foreign Residents,
1963-71
Percent
TO TA L ISSUED
TO FOREIGN
RESIDENTS

RESIDENTS OF
OTHER FOREIG N
C O U N TR IES
G ERM A N Y
JAPAN
U N IT E D KINGDOM
FRANCE

1963




64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

Energy
Consumption




The consumption of energy is one consequence of many technological advances which contribute
to productivity growth.

Energy consumption per capita would be expected to show a correlation with

either GNP per capita or GNP per civilian employee. On a per capita basis, the United States and
Canada had both the highest consumption of energy and the highest levels of real GNP in 1972.
Energy consumption per capita not only contributes to real GNP per capita but also is
influenced by it, as higher incomes result in higher consumer demands. Variations between countries
in the use of energy are also influenced by differences in the cost of energy, climate, industrial
structure, measures for environmental protection, and consumer tastes.

Chart 32.

Relationship of Energy Consumption per Capita to Real
GNP per Capita, 1971
(Indexes, United States = 100)

Real GNP Per Capita

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics and United Nations




U N IT E D STATES

Appendix A. Supporting Tables for Charts
Users of the following tables should recognize that data on inter­
national comparisons have substantial limitations. Problems arise from
such diverse sources as variations in concepts, methodology, ability and
willingness of respondents to provide information, and stage of economic
development. In addition, the use of aggregated measures of economic
activity requires reference to some pattern of expenditure or production.
These broad measures vary depending on the particular national patterns
selected.
For almost all tables, adjustments to the original country data by
either international organizations or U.S. statistical agencies improved
the consistency of the series. However, in general the accuracy attained
would not equal that of U.S. data.
Two important problems deserve special attention. The fairly com­
mon statistical procedure of converting GNP measures in foreign cur­




rencies to U.S. dollars via use of existing exchange rates was rejected
since the bulk of GNP does not enter into foreign trade. Instead, rough
estimates based on three detailed studies and extended by the most
appropriate existing series were prepared and checked against alternative
procedures.
A second major problem centers on governmental activities (and to
a lesser degree other services). Output measures here are weak, which
may influence comparisons where either measurement techniques differ
or the proportion of GNP associated with governmental output differs.
The official statistics on productivity for the United States relate to the
private economy only and the information presented here for total GNP
per person is provided for comparative purposes and does not supersede
the official data.

Table 4. Food Production Per Person in the Farm Population, 1970
(Indexes, United States = 100)
Year.....

United
States

Canada

France

Germany

Italy

Japan

United
Kingdom

1950.....
1955.....
1960.....
1965.....
1970.....

100.0
116.9
123.0
144.1
152.4

100.0
120.6
131.5
150.3
165.4

100.0
122.6
156.3
201.5
254.1

100.0
137.1
192.3
237.7
300.1

100.0
127.9
166.5
222.1
299.0

100.0
136.7
189.6
287.8
468.9

100.0
112.0
123.4
139.1
158.0

1971 .....
1972.....

156.2
160.4

170.7
175.2

266.5
278.0

308.7
320.4

305.5
321.2

495.6
541.1

164.2
168.9

Country

Index

United States ..........................................
Western Europe ......................................
Other developed countries ......................
World, including UnitedStates ................
Communist Asia .......................................
Other less developed countries.................

100.0
18.8
9.3
2.8
.9
1-6

Table 5. Output Per Man-Hour in Manufacturing, 1960-72
(Indexes, 1960=100)
Table 2. Real GNP Per Employed Civilian, 1950-72
(Indexes, United States = 100)
Year.....

Canada

France

Germany

Italy

Japan

United
Kingdom

1950....
1955....
1960....
1965....
1970....

82
85
88
86
89

46
48
59
65
77

38
44
59
62
74

30
33
41
46
59

18
21
28
37
57

56
54
56
54
58

1971 ....
1972....

90
90

78
80

74
75

59
60

58
62

59
59

Year.....

United
States

Canada

EEC (5
Countries) Japan

1960.....
1961 .....
1962.....
1963.....
1964.....

100.0
102.5
108.3
112.7
118.0

100.0
105.5
111.1
115.2
120.2

100.0
104.6
111.0
116.3
124.5

100.0
113.1
118.1
127.6
144.6

100.0
104.7
112.5
118.4
132.9

100.0
100.8
103.3
108.9
116.8

1965.....
1966.....
1967.....
1968.....
1969.....

122.7
124.3
124.2
130.2
133.3

124.5
127.9
131.8
141.4
149.1

133.4
140.6
148.6
160.6
170.3

150.7
165.9
190.5
214.5
247.6

142.8
152.0
162.9
180.0
192.2

120.3
124.6
130.2
139.1
141.0

1970.....
1971 .....
1972.....

134.2
143.7
151.3

151.5
160.2
167.2

177.1
186.2
199.7

279.0
289.0
318.1

202.4
207.8
224.1

141.9
149.7
158.2

United
Sweden Kingdom

Table 3. Output Per Employed Civilian, by Sector, 1950-71
(Average annual percent change)
Sector
Total....................
Agriculture .....
Industry.........
Services .........

United
States

Canada

2.2
5.6
2.2
1.8

2.4
5.3
3.6
0.6

1 1955-71
2 1951-71




France 1 Germany
4.9
5.7
5.6
2.9

5.4
6.6
5.9
3.6

United
Italy2 Kingdom
5.3
6.9
5.2
3.1

2.2
5.3
2.5
1.5

Table 6. Output Per Man-Hour, Output, and Man-Hours in Manufacturing, 1960-72
(Average annual percent change)
Country

Output Per Man-Hour

United States.......... ................
Belgium ................... ................
Canada...................... ................
France....................... ................
G erm any.................. ................
Ita ly .......................... ................
Japan ........................ ................
Netherlands ............ ................
Sweden...................... ................
United Kingdom .... ................

3.2
6.5
4.2
5.9
5.9
6.2
10.4
7.1
7.3
4.0

Output
4.8
6.2
6.1
6.6
5.6
6.8
12.7
6.5
5.9
3.0

Man-Hours
1.6
-0.3
1.8
.7
-0.2
.6
2.1,
-0.5
-1.3
-1.0

Table 7. Relative Levels1 of Output Per Man-Hour in the Iron and Steel Industry,
1964-72

Table 10. Output Per Man-Hour, Compensation Per Man-Hour, and Unit Labor Costs
in Manufacturing, 1960-65

(Indexes, United States = 100)

(Average annual percent change)

Y e a r......

France

Germany

Japan

1964 .....
1965 .....

48-51
48-52

54-63
52-61

43-54
43-54

46-50
47-51

.....
......
......
......
......

50-54
55-59
59-63
64-69
68-72

52-61
59-69
65-76
71-83
72-84

51-63
63-78
68-85
83-103
97-121

45-48
46-50
48-52
49-53
51-55

1971 ......
1972 ......

65-69
66-71

68-80
72-84

94-116
102-126

47-51
49-53

1966
1967
1968
1969
1970

Unit Labor Costs

United
Kingdom

Country

Output Per Compensation
Man-Hour Per Man-Hour

United States.............. ............
Belgium ....................... ............
Canada......................................
France ......................................
Germany....................... ............
Ita ly .............................. ............
Japan............................. ............
Netherlands.............................
Sweden....................................
United Kingdom ........ ...........

4.3
5.1
4.4
4.9
6.4
6.8
8.5
5.2
7.6
4.1

3.7
8.8
3.5
9.0
9.6
13.6
13.2
11.4
10.3
6.4

National
Currency

U.S.
Dollars

-0.7
3.5
-0.8
3.8
3.0
6.3
4.3
5.9
2.6
2.2

-0.7
3.5
-2.9
3.8
3.7
6.2
4.2
6.7
2.6
2.1

1 Range of estimates.

Table 11. Output Per Man-Hour, Compensation Per Man-Hour, and Unit Labor Costs
in Manufacturing, 1965-70
(Average annual percent change)
Unit Labor Costs

Table 8. Output Per Man-Hour, Output, and Man-Hours in the Iron and Steel
Industry. 1964-72
(Average annual percent change)
Country

Country

Output Per Man-Hour

Output

United States ........ ..................
1.2
France .................... .................. 6.2
Germany ............... .................. 6.0
Japan ...................... .................. 14.3
United Kingdom
.................. 2.2

-0.4
3.1
3.6
14.5
- .9

Man-Hours
-1.5
-2.9
-2.2
.2
-3.0

Table 9. Output Per Man-Hour, Compensation Per Man-Hour, and Unit Labor Costs
in Manufacturing, 1960-72
(Average annual percent change)
Unit Labor Costs

Compensation
Output
Per Man-Hour Per Man-Hour

United States........... ...............
Belgium..................... ...............
Canada...................... ...............
France ...................... ...............
Germany.................... ...............
Italy............................ ...............
Japan ......................... ...............
Netherlands ............. ...............
Sweden ..................... ...............
United K ingdom ..... ...............

2.0
7.7
4.5
6.5
5.6
5.3
13.4
8.5
7.5
3.7

6.1
9.4
7.6
10.0
8.3
9.4
15.2
11.9
10.1
7.4

National
Currency

U.S.
Dollars

4.0
1.5
3.1
3.2
2.6
3.9
1.6
3.1
2.4
3.6

4.0
1.4
3.5
1.0
4.1
3.8
1.8
3.0
2.3
-0.4

Table 12. Output Per Man-Hour, Compensation Per Man-Hour, and Unit Labor Costs
in Manufacturing, 1970-72
(Average annual percent change)
Unit Labor Costs

Country

Output Per Compensation
Man-Hour Per Man-Hour

National
Currency

U.S.
Dollars
Country

United States................ ...........
Belgium......................... ...........
Canada .......................... ...........
France........................... ...........
Germany........................ ...........
Italy .............................. ...........
Japan ............................. ...........
Netherlands ................. ...........
Sweden ........................ ...........
United Kingdom ........ ...........




3.2
6.5
4.2
5.9
5.9
6.2
10.4
7.1
7.3
4.0

5.1
9.9
6.2
9.5
9.3
11.2
14.1
12.1
10.4
8.0

1.8
3.2
1.9
3.5
3.3
4.7
3.3
4.7
2.9
3.8

1.8
3.7
1.9
2.7
4.8
4.9
4.1
5.4
3.2
2.2

Output Per
Man-Hour

United States ............ .............
Belgium ..................... .............
Canada ........................ .............
France ......................... .............
Germany..................... .............
Ita ly ............................. .............
Japan ........................... .............
Netherlands................ .............
Sweden........................ .............
United Kingdom ....... .............

6.2
7.3
5.0
6.0
6.0
5.6
6.8
6.5
5.2
5.6

Compensation National
Per Man-Hour Currency
6.6
13.5
7.7
12.5
12.9
16.1
15.9
13.5
12.7
13.6

0.4
5.8
2.6
6.1
6.5
9.9
8.6
6.6
7.1
7.6

U.S.
Dollars
0.4
12.4
5.3
11.1
13.9
13.9
18.1
13.1
11.8
9.9

Table 13. Relative Output Per Man-Hour, Unit Labor Costs, and Hourly Labor Costs in the Iron and Steel Industry, 1964-72
(Indexes, United States = 100)
Output Per Man-Hour

Unit Labor Costs in U.S. Dollars
United
Kingdom

Y e a r.......

France

Germany

1964 .......
1 9 6 5 .......
1 9 6 6 .......
1967 .......
1968 .......

48-51
48-52
50-54
55-59
59-63

54-63
52-61
52-61
59-69
65-76

43-54
43-54
51-63
63-78
68-85

46-50
47-51
45-48
46-50
48-52

1 9 6 9 .......
1 9 7 0 .......
1971 .......
1 9 7 2 .......

64-69
68-72
65-69
66-71

71-83
72-84
68-80
72-84

83-103
97-121
94-116
102-126

49-53
51-55
47-51
49-53

Japan

Hourly Labor Costs

Germany

Japan

United
Kingdom

France

Germany

Japan

United
Kingdom

66-72
69-75
67-73
63-68
62-67

58-72
63-78
65-80
57-71
53-65

31-40
34-43
31-39
27-35
28-35

57-64
61-68
67-75
60-67
53-59

34-35
35-36
36-37
37-38
39-40

37-39
38-40
39-42
39-42
40-42

17-17
18-18
20-20
21-22
23-24

29-30
31-32
32-33
30-31
27-28

56-61
54-59
60-65
65-70

50-62
64-80
73-90
73-91

25-32
25-31
27-35
29-35

52-58
55-62
60-67
62-69

38-39
39-40
41-42
46-46

41-44
54-48
58-62
62-66

26-26
30-31
32-32
37-38

28-29
30-31
31-32
33-34

France

Table 14. Hourly Compensation of Wage Earners in Manufacturing and Selected
Industries, 1972

Table 15. Consumer Prices, 1960-72
(Indexes, 1 9 6 0 = 100)

(U.S. dollars)
Country
United States ........... .....
Belgium .....................
Canada .......................
France ........................
G erm any.....................
Israel............................
Italy ...........................
Japan ...........................
Korea...........................
Netherlands ...............
Sweden .....................
United K ingdom ......

Motor
Manufacturing Vehicles
$




4.75
2.89
4.28
2.31
3.18

$ 6.49
3.59
5.68
2.75
4.03

-

-

2.54
1.69

2.90
1.86

-

-

2.93
3.98
2.04

3.08
4.12
2.65

Textiles

Apparel

Y e a r.......

United
States

Canada

France

Germany

Italy

Japan

United
Kingdom

$ 3.25
2.51
3.23
2.01
2.61
1.36
2.08
1.11
.23
2.63

$ 3.12
1.90
2.65
1.84
2.42
1.03
2.01
.92
.19
1.59

1960 .......
1961 .......
1962 .......
1 9 6 3 .......
1964 .......

100.0
101.1
102.2
103.5
104.8

100.0
100.9
102.1
104.0
105.8

100.0
103.3
108.3
113.5
117.4

100.0
102.5
106.2
109.2
111.9

100.0
102.1
106.8
114.8
121.6

100.0
105.3
112.4
120.9
125.5

100.0
103.4
107.8
110.0
113.6

1 9 6 5 .......
1 9 6 6 .......
1967 .......
1968 .......
1969 .......

106.6
109.7
112.8
117.6
123.9

108.4
112.4
116.5
121.2
126.7

120.3
123.5
126.9
132.6
141.2

115.4
119.6
121.7
123.6
126.9

127.1
130.1
134.9
136.7
140.3

135.1
142.0
147.7
155.5
163.6

119.0
123.7
126.7
132.7
139.9

1970 .......
1971 .......
1972 .......

131.2
136.8
141.3

130.9
134.7
141.1

148.5
156.7
166.4

131.6
138.4
146.4

147.2
154.3
163.1

176.2
187.3
196.5

148.8
162.8
174.4

-

-

1.69

1.37

Table 19. Distribution of Consumer Expenditures, 1971
(Percent)
Germany

Italy

Japan

United
Kingdom

100.0
103.3
108.3
114.8
119.4

100.0
104.4
108.6
112.0
115.1

100.0
102.7
108.6
118.0
125.4

100.0
106.9
111.3
116.1
120.8

100.0
103.3
106.8
109.1
112.0

109.7
114.5
118.9
122.8
128.3

122.3
125.9
129.5
135.4
144.3

119.3
123.4
125.0
127.0
131.5

130.4
133.2
137.1
139.1
144.9

127.4
133.3
138.9
144.3
150.2

116.5
121.2
124.8
128.8
133.7

134.0
138.3
145.0

152.2
160.5
169.7

140.8
151.5
160.7

154.6
164.9
174.6

160.2
167.7
176.1

143.8
158.5
173.3

Y e a r......

United
States

Canada

1 9 6 0 ......
1961 ......
1 9 6 2 ......
1 9 6 3 ......
1 9 6 4 ......

100.0
101.3
102.4
103.8
105.3

100.0
100.5
101.9
103.5
106.3

1 9 6 5 ......
1 9 6 6 ......
1967 ......
1 9 6 8 ......
1 9 6 9 ......

107.4
110.3
113.8
118.4
124.1

1 9 7 0 ......
1971 ......
1972 ......

130.9
137.1
141.4

France

United
States

France

Germany

Italy

Japan^

United
Kingdom

Total Expenditures.....,.100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

17.6

26.5

21.9

35.0

30.7

22.3

19.4
27.1

19.8
22.2

20.5
26.5

18.2
19.3

16.8
25.6

17.2
24.7

15.4

10.7

11.8

11.0

4 .3

12.4

14.1
6.4

13.8
7.0

11.9
7.4

12.6
3.9

12.8
9.8

18.7
4.7

Item

Food ............................. .
Clothing, Medical Care
and Personal Care.... ..
Housing.......................... .
Transportation and
Communication....... .
Education and Recrea­
tion ............................. .
Other ............................ .
1 1970.

Table 20. Unemployment Rates, 1960-72
(Percent)
Table 17. Real GNP per Capita,, 1950-72
(Indexes, United States = 100)
Year .......

Canada

France

1950.... ...
1955 .... ...
I9 6 0 .... ...
1965 .... ...
1 9 7 0 .... ...

77
78
81
82
86

54
56
66
70
81

1971 .... ...
1972 .... ...

88
88

83
82

Germany

Y e a r.......
United
Kingdom

Italy

Japan

45
59
75
77
85

31
35
43
46
54

20
25
36
47
71

63
64
69
67
65

84
82

53
51

73
75

65
63

Table 18. Real Hourly Earnings of Manufacturing Wage Earners, 1960-72
(Indexes, 1 9 6 0 = 100)
United
Y e a r......
States
Canada

France

Germany

Italy

Japan

United
Kingdom

1 9 6 0 ......
1961 ......
1962 ........
1 9 6 3 ......
1 9 6 4 ......

100.0
101.6
103.5
105.1
106.8

100.0
101.3
102.8
104.7
106.6

100.0
104.4
107.8
111.7
114.7

100.0
108.0
116.1
121.0
127.5

100.0
104.8
115.4
125.5
131.5

100.0
105.7
112.3
116.5
124.8

100.0
103.5
103.1
105.2
109.9

1 9 6 5 ......
1 9 6 6 ......
1967 ......
1 9 6 8 ......
1 9 6 9 ......

108.3
109.8
111.0
113.3
114.0

109.2
111.8
115.1
118.9
123.0

117.4
121.3
126.3
133.8
141.6

136.3
141.1
144.3
147.9
158.8

137.9
140.9
143.7
147.3
157.3

129.5
138.0
148.9
165.7
187.9

112.6
116.7
118.4
121.4
125.9

1 9 7 0 ......
1971 ......
1 9 7 2 ......


113.3
115.1
119.3

128.5
136.0
140.2

151.7
160.2
170.0

172.9
183.7
188.0

184.0
205.0
224.2

204.3
222.2
246.4

136.1
140.6
148.2



United
States

Canada

France

Germany

Italy

Japan

United
Kingdom

1 9 6 0 .......
1961 .......
1 9 6 2 .......
1 9 6 3 .......
1964 .......

5.5
6.7
5.5
5.7
5.2

7.0
7.1
5.9
5.5
4.7

2.2
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.6

0.8
.5
.4
.5
.3

4.3
3.7
3.2
2.7
3.0

1.7
1.5
1.3
1.3
1.2

2.3
2.1
3.0
3.8
2.6

1 9 6 5 .......
1 9 6 6 .......
1967 .......
1 9 6 8 .......
1 9 6 9 .......

4.5
3.8
3.8
3.6
3.5

3.9
3.6
4.1
4.8
4.7

1.8
1.8
2.3
2.7
2.1

.3
.3
1.0
1.2
.8

4.0
4.3
3.8
3.8
3.7

1.2
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1

2.3
2.4
3.8
3.7
3.7

1 9 7 0 .......
1971 .......
1972 .......

4.9
5.9
5.6

5.9
6.4
6.3

2.2
2.7
2.9

.5
.7
.9

3.4
3.4
4.0

1.2
1.3
1.4

4.0
5.3
6.2

Table 21. School Enrollments and Education Expenditures, 1969
Proportion of school-age
population enrolled in school

Country

Primary and
Secondary

United States.......... ...
Canada ..................... ...
France ...................... ...
Germany.......................
Italy .......................... ..
Japan ........................ ...
United Kingdom ....,..

86.2
85.7
72.8
79.5
67.0
72.8
78.6

Postsecondary

Public expenditures on
education as a percent of GNP

48.0
24.8
15.21
12.0
15.3
16.1
10.4 3

1 Public university enrollment only.
2 Ministry of Education expenditures only.

6.3
8.3
4.5 2
3.6
4.3 2
4.0
5.6 3
' 3 1967.

Table 22. Contribution of Growth in Output Per Employee to Growth in Real GIMP,
1950-72
Country

(Average annual percent change)
Growth in
real
GNP

Country
United States............
Canada .......................
France ........................
Germany ...................
Italy ............................
Japan ...........................
United Kingdom ....

Growth in
civilian
employment

Growth in
real GNP per
employed civilian Interact

_

2.2
2.6
4.8
5.4
5.4
8.0
2.4

1.5
2.4
.4
.9
-0.1
1.7
.3

3.7
5.0
5.2
6.4
5.4
9.8
2.7

.
_

0.1
0.1
0.1
“

(Percent distribution)
Not of
Working Age

Civilian Labor Force
Not in
Employed Unemployed Labor Force
United States ...........
Canada .......................
France 1
.................
G erm any2 ...............
Italy 1 .......................
Japan ...........................
United Kingdom .....

39.6
38.3
40.7
43.9
35.2
47.2
42.2

2.3
2.6
.9
.3
1.2
.7
2.8

27.5
31.5
30.1
33.4
40.4
27.3
30.8

1971

33.4
25.8
38.2
37.5
29.6
40.3
34.6

38.2
32.8
36.9
36.2
27.2
38.5
36.7

United States ........
Canada ................. .
France ...................
Germany .............. ,.
Italy ..................... ..
Japan ..................... ,.
United Kingdom .,,.

Table 26. Growth in Output Per Man-Hour in Manufacturing and Rate of Capital
Investment
Output Per Man-Hour
Capital Investment as Percent of
in Manufacturing
Output 1960-71 Average
Country
1960-72
All industry 1
Manufacturing
(Average annual percent change)

Table 23. Work Status of the Civilian Population, 1972
Of Working Age

1960

30.6
27.7
28.3
22.5
23.1
24.8
24.2

United States.................. 3.2
Belgium ........................... 6.5
Canada ............................ 4.2
France ............................ 5.9
Germany ....................
5.8
Italy .................................. 6.1
Japan ............................. 10.4
Netherlands ................... 7.1
Sweden ........................... 7.3
United K ingdom .......... 4.0

14.3 2
19.7
21.0
21.3
22.4 3
17.9
29.6
21.4
18.7
16.6

12.0
19.5
14.7
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
30.5
N.A.
16.6
13.5

1 Mining, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities.
2 Excludes construction.
3 Total capital investment, excluding residential dwellings, as percent of total
output.

1 1970.
2 1971.

Table 27. Factors Affecting Agricultural Productivity, 1970
(Indexes, United States = 100)

Table 24. Distribution of Civilian Employment by Economic Sector, 1950 and 1970
(Percent)

Country

Agri­
culture

United States......
Canada ....................
G erm any.............. ...
Italy .................
Japan .................... ...
United Kingdom ,...

22.9
22.7
44.61
43.1
5.3

1 1951.




Item

1970

1950
Industry

Services

33.7
34.6
43.1
29.9 1
23.5
46.5

54.0
42.5
34.2
25.61
33.4
48.2

Agri­
culture
4.5
7.7
9.0
19.5
16.9
2.9

Industry

Services

33.2
30.3
49.5
43.0
35.6
45.0

62.3
62.0
41.5
37.6
47.5
52.2

Agricultural land^
per person in farm
population ...........
Fertilizer usage 2
per person in farm
population ..........
Tractors in use 3
per person in farm
population ...........
1 For latest year.
2 For 1970-71.
3 For 1971.

United
States

Other
Other less
Western developed Communist developed
Europe countries
countries World
Asia

100.0

7.8

20.4

1.5

4.2

5.1

100.0

22.3

9.6

0.4

0.5

2.2

100.0

22.6

5.9

0.1

0.2

1.6

Country

Percent of Steel
Value of Numerically
Output Produced
Controlled Machine
Tool Production, 1967 in Basic Oxygen
Furnaces
(Millions of Dollars)
1960

United States ........ .......... $
Canada ................... ..........
France .................... ..........
Germany ................. ..........
Italy........................... ..........
Japan ........................ ..........
Sweden ................... ..........
United Kingdom..... ..........

3.4
N.A.
.7
2.5
0
11.9
3.9
0.5

284.9
N.A.
9.0
29.5
12.0
5.9
1.6
20.1

Total issued
to Foreign
Electronic Digital
Computers in Use

1972

1965

1971

56.0

23,200
, 750
500
996
1 500
1,445
N.A.
1,850

88,000
3,800
6,700
7,800
3,300
9,482

45.8
64.6
39.1
79.4
36.5
42.6

Y e a r.....

France

Germany

Japan

Residents of
United Other Foreign
Kingdom Countries

1963.... ...
1964 .... ...
1965.... ...
1966.... ...
1967 .... ...

18.6
18.9
19.9
20.1
21.9

1.9
2.1
2.2
2.1
2.4

5.1
5.1
5.4
5.8
5.7

0.9
1.2
1.5
1.6
2.2

4.0
3.9
4.1
3.9
4.3

6.7
6.6
6.7
6.7
7.3

1968.... ...
1969 .... ...
1970.... ...
1971 .... ...

22.5
25.4
26.9
28.5

2.4
2.7
2.7
2.8

5.8
6.7
6.9
7.1

2.5
3.2
4.1
5.1

4.2
4.7
4.6
4.4

7.6
8.1
8.6
9.1

7,600

1 1963.
N.A. Not Available.

Table 32. Energy Consumption Per Capita and Real GNP Per Capita, 1971
(Indexes, United States = 100)

Table 29. Research and Development: Employment and Expenditures, 1971

Country

Scientists and Engineers
Engaged in R & D per
10,000 Population

United States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom

R & D Expenditures
as Percent
of GNP

25
10
12
15
1
5
25
1
8

2.6
1.2
1.8
2.0
1 .9
1.8
2.1

1 1969.

Table 30. Government Expenditures for R&D by National Objective, 1969
(Percent distribution)

Objective

United
States

Total ......................................... 100
National defense ................
49
Space ....................................
24
Community services ..........
12
Economic development
...
7
Nuclear energy ...................
6
Advancement of science ..
2
Miscellaneous ....................
—




France
100
31
7
3
16
18
24
—

Germany
100
19
6
2
2
17
39
15

Japan

United
Kingdom

100
2
1
4
23
8
61

100
40
4
4
26
12
13

—

—

Country
United States
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom

Real GNP
Per Capita
100
88
83
84
53
73
65

Energy Consumption
Per Capita
100.0
82.9
34.9
46.5
23.9
29.1
49.0

Appendix B. Sources
Sources of the data for the charts and methods of adjustment
are as follows:
1. Trends in real GNP per employed civilian: BLS estimates
based on national sources. GNP is in constant market prices and is
based on OECD definitions, which differ somewhat from the official
U.S. concepts. The em ploym ent figures are partially estimated. In
addition, the em ploym ent data for France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
and the United Kingdom have been adjusted for rough com parability
with U.S. concepts. Data on output per employed person for the
United States d iffer from the indexes regularly published by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics since the latter figures exclude general
government. Data for 1 950-70 calculated at 5 year intervals only.
2. Comparative levels of real GNP per employed civilian:
Relative levels o f real GNP for the European countries for 1955 were
derived from G ilbert and associates, Comparative N ational Products
and Price Levels (Paris, Organisation for European Economic Co­
operation, 1958). The relative level of Canadian real GNP in 1960
was derived from D orothy Walters, Canadian Growth Revisited,
1950-1967 (O ttaw a, S taff Study No. 28, Economic Council of
Canada, 1970). The relative o f Japanese real GNP in 1960 was de­
rived from A S tudy o f International Comparison o f Levels o f Living
(Tokyo, Institute of People's Living, March 1965) as quoted in
Angus Maddison, Econom ic Growth in Japan and the U.S.S.R. (New
York, W.W. N orton and Company, Inc., 1969). The base year esti­
mates are at U.S. relative prices; if the base year comparisons were
to be made using relative prices in each of the foreign countries,
it would lower the foreign real GNP estimates relative to the United
States. Real G NP and em ploym ent for other years were then esti­
mated based on trend data described in (1) above.
3. Trends in output per employed civilian by sector: BLS esti­
mates based on national statistics. The methods followed were sim­
ilar but not identical to those used for chart 1. O utput refers to
gross domestic product rather than gross national product. O utput
trends were measured in constant market prices for the United



States, France, and Germany and at constant factor cost for Canada,
Italy, and the United Kingdom. O utput by sector at constant prices
is not available for Japan. The em ploym ent figures for Italy have
been adjusted for major conceptual differences. The employment
figures for the other countries have not been similarly adjusted, but
such adjustments would have little effect on the trends.
The agricultural sector includes farming, forestry, hunting, and
fishing. Industry is defined as mining, manufacturing, and construc­
tion. Services cover transportation, communication, public utilities,
trade, finance, public administration, private household services, and
miscellaneous services. Em ploym ent in government enterprises is class­
ified according to the sector appropriate to the output of the enterprise.
4. Levels o f food production per person in the farm popula­
tion: Based on unpublished data from the Economic Research Ser­
vice, U.S. Departm ent of Agriculture. Value o f food production
based on the previously published benchmark for 1959-61 (in 1959
-61 world prices) extended to 1971 by the Economic Research Ser­
vice using indexes o f food production. Farm Population statistics
from Food and Agricultural Organisation, except fo r the United
States. Regional groups include the following countries:
Other developed countries—Australia, Canada, New Zealand,
Union o f South Africa, U.S.S.R., and Eastern Europe.
Less developed countries (except Communist A s ia )-A fric a
except Union o f South Africa, Asia except Japan and Com­
munist Asia, and all of Latin America.
Communist Asia—China, Mongolia, North Korea, and North
Vietnam.
This listing may differ from UN regional groups established for
other purposes.
5, and 6. Productivity, o utput, and man-hour trends in manu­
facturing: BLS estimates based prim arily on aggregate manufactur­
ing output statistics from national economic accounts and national
data on em ploym ent and man-hours worked by all employees.

7, and 8. Productivity, output, and man-hours in the iron and
steel industry: Comparative 1964 data for the United States, France,
Germany, and the United Kingdom are from An International Comparison
o f Unit Labor Cost in the Iron and Steel Industry, 1964: United States,
France, Germany, United Kingdom, Bulletin 1580 (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1968); comparative 1964 data for Japan are preliminary
unpublished estimates. The estimates for 1964 are essentially based on
the U.S. definition of the iron and steel industry. Estimates for later
years were obtained by applying trend indexes for each country-unad­
justed for comparability among the countries-to the 1964 relatives.
9, 10, 11, and 12. Trends in output per man-hour, compensation
per man-hour, and unit labor costs in manufacturing, 1960-72: BLS
estimates based primarily on aggregate manufacturing output statistics
from national economic accounts, estimates of the number of man-hours
worked by all employees, and aggregate labor compensation statistics.
Trends in unit labor costs on a U.S. dollar basis were calculated using
the average daily exchange rates published in the Federal Reserve Bul­
letin, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
13. Levels of output per man-hour, unit labor costs, and hourly
labor costs in the iron and steel industry: See (7 and 8) above.
14. Compensation in manufacturing and selected industries: BLS
estimates based on published average hourly earnings adjusted for com­
pensation items excluded from earnings. The adjustments were based
primarily on labor cost survey statistics. Total compensation refers to
all payments made by the employer directly to the worker before deduc­
tions of any kind, plus employer contributions to legally required insur­
ance programs and to contractual and private plans for the benefit of
employees. The earnings and labor cost data are from national and EEC
statistical publications. Hourly compensation was converted into U.S.
dollars using the average daily exchange rate for 1972.
15. Trends in consumer prices: Consumer price indexes published
in national statistical publications converted to a common base year.
16. Trends in the GNP implicit price deflator: Derived from coun­
try national accounts data and converted to a common base year.
17. Comparative levels of real GNP per capita: BLS estimates. For
derivation of real GNP estimates, see (2) above. Population estimates
relate to the resident population.




18. Trends in real hourly earnings: Average hourly earnings of
manufacturing wage workers adjusted for changes in consumer prices as
measured by consumer price indexes. The earnings data are from national
and EEC statistical publications; the consumer price data are from
national statistical publications.
19. The structure of consumer expenditures: National accounts
statistics of private consumption expenditures in current prices. National
accounts data for Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom were adjust­
ed by BLS in order to obtain statistics for comparable expenditure
categories.
20. Trends in unemployment: BLS estimates of unemployment
rates adjusted to U.S. labor force survey concepts and definitions. No
adjustments were made to the published Canadian data. Adjustments
of national data for most countries were based primarily on the results
of labor force surveys. For Great Britain, adjustments were based on the
results of the 1961 population census and the 1966 "sample census."
21. School enrollment and education expenditures: School enroll­
ment ratios calculated by BLS from enrollment figures published in the
UNESCO Statistical Yearbook and population figures by age published
in the United Nations Demographic Yearbook, The first and second
levels cover primary and secondary education. Third level includes: (1)
universities and equivalent degree-granting institutions; (2) teacher train­
ing in nonuniversity institutions (e.g., teacher colleges); and (3) other
post-secondary education in nonuniversity institutions (technical colleges,
etc.). Both full-time and part-time students are included except in the
Canadian data which exclude part-time students. Educational expendi­
ture ratios are from the UNESCO Statistical Yearbook. Public expendi­
tures on education comprise recurring and capital expenditures at all
levels of government. Recurring expenditures cover public expenditures
on: (1) school administration; (2) preschool through third level educa­
tion; (3) other types of education such as special education, adult educa­
tion, religious schools, and similar institutions; and (4) scholarships,
student transport, and other types of education-related subsidies, if
applicable.
22. The contribution of productivity to economic growth: See (1)
above.
23. Population, labor force, employment, and unemployment: BLS

estimates of data adjusted to U.S. labor force survey concepts and defini­
tions. See (20) above.
24. Trends in the industrial structure of employment: BLS estimates
of sectoral employment adjusted to U.S. labor force survey definitions
wherever major conceptual differences exist. Other adjustments were also
made by BLS to achieve consistency in the employment series.
Total civilian employment includes wage and salary workers, unpaid
family workers, and the self-employed. Data for the United Kingdom
exclude a small number of unpaid family workers.
For definition of sectors, see (3) above.
25. Trends in the sex composition of the labor force: BLS estimates
adjusted to U.S. labor force survey definitions. See (20) above.
26. Capital investment: The capital investment ratios are BLS esti­
mates derived from published national accounts data. Output is at factor
cost while investment is in purchasers' values. The ratios are based on data
at current prices as figures in constant prices are not available for several
of the countries. U.S. ratios based on constant and current prices are not
significantly different over the time period covered. Ratios for all industry
include public utilities for this chart only. U.S. total excludes construction.
27. Some sources of agricultural productivity: Compiled by the
Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, from F.A.O.
sources, except for U.S. population. For regional listing, see (4) above.
28. Trends in the diffusion of major technological innovations: See
sources listed on chart.
29. Research and development: employment and expenditures:
1969 data from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop­
ment. 1971 estimates from National Science Foundation developed to
be consistent with earlier OECD data. Employment of scientists and
engineers are full-time equivalents.
30. Objectives of government R&D expenditures: Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development.
31. Trends in patent activity: Unpublished data from the U.S.
Patent Office, U.S. Department of Commerce. Comparable charts have
been published previously from the Patent Office data.
32. Energy consumption: Statistical Office of the United Nations.
For real GNP per capita, see (2) and (17) above.




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