From the third quarter of 2018 to the third quarter of 2019, nonfarm business labor productivity increased 1.4%, reflecting a 2.3% increase in output and a 0.9% increase in hours worked. During the same period, real hourly compensation increased 2.7%.
From the third quarter of 2009 to the third quarter of 2019, nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 11.1%, reflecting a 32.4% increase in output and a 19.2% increase in hours worked. Real hourly compensation increased 8.0% over this time span.
These data are from the Labor Productivity and Costs program. To learn more, see Productivity and Costs — Third Quarter 2019, Preliminary. Also see Charts related to the latest “Productivity and Costs” news release. Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of hours worked by all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers.
