In 2008, engineering services recorded the largest labor productivity increase (9.4 percent) among the largest manufacturing and service-providing industries (those with employment over 500,000) and the overall mining sector. Aerospace products and parts had the largest productivity decline (-9.1 percent).
Labor productivity—defined as output per hour—rose in 46 percent of the 138 detailed manufacturing, mining, and service-providing industries studied in 2008. This was down from the 62 percent that recorded productivity increases the previous year.
Fewer industries recorded productivity increases in 2008 than in any other year since 1988.
This data is from the Productivity and Costs program. Additional information can be found in "Productivity and Costs by Industry: Manufacturing, Mining, and Selected Service-Providing Industries, 2008" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-10-0775.
