October 28, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
U.S. auto industry boosts productivity in 1990s
The motor vehicles and equipment industry has
posted notable gains in labor productivity during the current economic
expansion. In three segments of the industry—motor vehicle assembly,
parts manufacturing, and automotive stampings—labor productivity grew by
at least 3 percent per year from 1991 to 1998.
[Chart data—TXT]
Labor productivity in motor vehicle assembly—as measured by output
per hour—increased by 3.4 percent per year between 1991 and 1998. During
the same period, output per hour in parts manufacturing rose by 3.1
percent annually, on average. In the automotive stampings industry,
productivity climbed by 5.4 percent per year.
Note that measures of labor productivity reflect the joint effects of many
influences, including changes in technology, capital investment, the level
of output, capacity utilization, and the characteristics and effort of the
workforce.
These data are a product of the BLS Industry
Productivityprogram. Data are subject to revision.
Find out more
in Chapter 1 of Report on the American Workforce 1999.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »
