WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday the preliminary productivity data for the first quarter of 2007.
Manufacturing productivity growth in the first quarter of 2007 marked a 1.5 percent increase in output and a 1.1 percent decrease in hours worked in the sector.
Output showed a slight increase of 0.4 percent and hours fell 2.3 percent in the durable goods industries during the first quarter of 2007. Productivity in nondurable goods manufacturing posted a 2.0 percent gain in the first quarter, as output increased 2.9 percent and hours of all persons rose 0.8 percent.
The hourly compensation of all manufacturing workers increased 5.5 percent during the first quarter of 2007. This increase reflected a 6.6 percent jump in durable goods hourly compensation and a 3.6 percent gain in compensation per hour in nondurable goods industries.
Because hourly compensation of manufacturing workers rose more rapidly than productivity, unit labor costs increased in the first quarter by 2.7 percent. Unit labor costs increased 3.8 percent in durable goods manufacturing.
Quarterly output measures for manufacturing reflect indexes of industrial production independently prepared by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
