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For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, April 28, 2022 USDL-22-0711 Technical information: (202) 691-5606 * productivity@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/productivity Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov PRODUCTIVITY AND COSTS BY INDUSTRY MANUFACTURING AND MINING INDUSTRIES - 2021 Labor productivity rose in 47 of the 86 four-digit NAICS manufacturing industries in 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The railroad rolling stock industry had the largest productivity gain with an increase of 20.6 percent. Four out of the five industries in the mining sector posted productivity gains in 2021 with the greatest increase occurring in the coal mining industry with a gain of 18.3 percent. Increases in both output and hours worked were widespread among manufacturing and mining industries in 2021. Output rose in approximately three-quarters of detailed industries in 2021 and two-thirds had growth in hours worked. Forty-three industries increased both output and hours worked in 2021. Within this set of industries, almost half had rising labor productivity. Labor Productivity Trends in Three-Digit NAICS Industries, 2021 Manufacturing * Labor productivity increased in 10 of the 21 three-digit NAICS manufacturing industries in 2021. Within this set of industries, all but one had growth in output. * Both output and hours worked increased in 17 industries, respectively. Eight industries had concurrent increases of over 3.0 percent in both output and hours worked. * The primary metal industry had the largest productivity gain, 9.5 percent. * Beverage and tobacco products had the largest productivity decline, -15.5 percent. Mining * Labor productivity increased in all 3 of the three-digit NAICS mining industries in 2021. * The productivity gain of 8.8 percent in oil and gas extraction was mostly caused by a decline in hours worked of 8.1 percent. * The largest increase in output occurred in support activities for mining, 8.1 percent. Trends in Unit Labor Costs in 2021 Unit labor costs reflect the total labor costs required to produce a unit of output. Unit labor costs increase when hourly compensation growth exceeds productivity growth. Manufacturing * In manufacturing, unit labor costs increased in 16 of the 21 three-digit NAICS industries. The five industries with declines in unit labor costs all had increases in output, with the largest output gain occurring in primary metals (9.3 percent). * Twenty-eight four-digit NAICS manufacturing industries had declines in unit labor costs. Of these, twenty-five also recorded growth in productivity. Mining * Unit labor costs recorded double-digit declines in 2 of the 3 three-digit NAICS mining industries: oil and gas extraction (18.7 percent) and support activities for mining (-17.2 percent). * Unit labor costs fell in 3 of the 5 four-digit NAICS mining industries. All three of these industries also recorded gains in productivity. Long-Term Trends in Labor Productivity and Unit Labor Costs Labor Productivity * Over the entire 1987-2021 period, labor productivity rose in 85 of the 91 manufacturing and mining industries. Output rose in 51 industries while hours worked increased in only 15. In the 15 industries where hours worked increased, they rose at a slow pace, 0.7 percent per year on average. * During the more recent 2007-2021 period, productivity increased in 37 industries. Of these industries, only two (dairy products, and petroleum and coal products) had simultaneous growth in output as well as hours worked. Oil and gas extraction had the greatest average annual growth in output over this period, 5.5 percent. Unit Labor Costs * During the 1987-2021 period, unit labor costs increased in 80 of the 86 four-digit NAICS manufacturing industries and in all five mining industries. * From 2007 to 2021, unit labor costs increased in all 86 manufacturing industries, but in just 3 of the 5 mining industries. Unit labor costs rose the most in the audio and video equipment industry. The computer and peripheral equipment industry recorded the largest productivity gain as well as the largest unit labor cost decline during the 1987-2021 period. However, between 2007 and 2021, the oil and gas extraction industry posted the greatest productivity growth and the largest unit labor cost decline. Additional Information Manufacturing industry output measures for 2020 and earlier years are constructed primarily using data from the economic censuses and annual surveys of the U.S. Census Bureau together with data on price changes primarily from BLS. These measures have been revised due to the release of the 2020 Annual Survey of Manufactures. Manufacturing industry output for 2021 is estimated based on historical relationships between BLS sectoral output, BLS price indexes, and data on industrial production from the Federal Reserve Board. Mining industry output measures are constructed primarily using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Commodity Summaries and Mineral Yearbooks. The data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration are usually revised on a monthly schedule while the U.S. Geological Survey's publications are released annually. Access productivity data at www.bls.gov/productivity/tables/labor-productivity-detailed-industries.xlsx for: * Additional industries and sectors * Detailed data series: indexes of productivity and related measures; rates of change; and levels of industry employment, hours worked, sectoral output, and labor compensation Subscribe to productivity news releases on the BLS website at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOLBLS/subscriber/new. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.