Productivity up 0.3 percent in first quarter 2026 : The Economics Daily : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Productivity up 0.3 percent in first quarter 2026

June 15, 2026<br>Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2026, as output increased 1.0 percent and hours worked increased 0.7 percent. This is the smallest increase in nonfarm business sector labor productivity since the first quarter of 2025, when there was a 0.9-percent decrease. From the first quarter of 2025, nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 2.8 percent.<br>Chart Image<br>Chart Data

Nonfarm business labor productivity and related measures, percent change from previous quarter DateLabor productivityOutputUnit labor costsHours workedHourly compensation Q1 2020<br>-1.6-7.311.5-5.79.8Q2 2020<br>20.9-32.93.9-44.525.6Q3 2020<br>6.446.1-11.437.3-5.8Q4 2020<br>-3.25.614.29.010.5Q1 2021<br>2.97.2-2.54.20.3Q2 2021<br>0.88.25.87.36.7Q3 2021<br>-2.43.68.06.15.4Q4 2021<br>2.38.63.56.15.9Q1 2022<br>-4.9-2.27.22.91.9Q2 2022<br>-2.9-0.13.52.90.5Q3 2022<br>0.22.97.02.77.3Q4 2022<br>2.33.1-1.70.80.5Q1 2023<br>0.92.92.21.93.2Q2 2023<br>4.12.92.4-1.16.5Q3 2023<br>5.15.51.20.46.3Q4 2023<br>3.93.71.2-0.25.2Q1 2024<br>0.20.25.50.05.8Q2 2024<br>3.74.01.10.34.8Q3 2024<br>3.73.91.10.24.8Q4 2024<br>1.41.72.90.34.4Q1 2025<br>-0.9-0.97.30.06.3Q2 2025<br>4.25.2-2.91.01.2Q3 2025<br>5.25.41.00.26.2Q4 2025<br>1.61.32.1-0.23.7Q1 2026<br>0.31.01.80.72.1Note: Quarterly data are seasonally adjusted at annual rates.

Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting a 2.1-percent increase in hourly compensation and a 0.3-percent increase in productivity.<br>These data are from the Productivity program and are seasonally adjusted at annual rates, subject to revision. See "Productivity and Costs — First Quarter 2026, Revised" to learn more. We also have more charts on productivity and costs. Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of hours worked for all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers.

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Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Productivity up 0.3 percent in first quarter 2026 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/productivity-up-0-3-percent-in-first-quarter-2026.htm (visited June 28, 2026).

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