For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, September 28, 2010 USDL-10-1351

Technical Information: (202) 691-5618 • dipsweb@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mfp 

Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

MULTIFACTOR PRODUCTIVITY TRENDS FOR DETAILED INDUSTRIES, 2008

Multifactor productivity – defined as output per unit of combined inputs – increased in about 40 

percent of the 86 four-digit NAICS manufacturing industries in 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor 

Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) This was down from 2007, when multifactor productivity 

increased in about 60 percent of those industries. Fewer manufacturing industries recorded multifactor 

productivity increases in 2008 than in any year since 2001. (See chart 1 below.) 

Chart 1. Number of manufacturing industries with multifactor productivity growth, 2000-2008 

 

Within the transportation sector in 2008, multifactor productivity rose 0.6 percent in air transportation 

and declined 1.9 percent in line-haul railroads. 

Multifactor productivity indexes relate the change in output to the change in the combined inputs of 

labor, capital, and intermediate purchases consumed in producing that output. Multifactor productivity 

measures the joint influences on economic growth of a variety of factors, including technological 

change, returns to scale, enhancements in managerial and staff skills, changes in the organization of 

production, and other efficiency improvements. 

43

22

60 61

73

46 49 52

35

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Number of industries

Year
- 2 -

Manufacturing industries 

Output rose in fewer manufacturing industries in 2008 than in 2007. Output rose in only 17 of 86 

manufacturing industries in 2008, compared to 39 in 2007. Combined inputs fell in more industries, 65 

in 2008 compared to 54 in 2007. Labor hours fell in 67 manufacturing industries in 2008, while 

intermediate inputs fell in 65 industries and capital services fell in 43 industries. 

Chart 2 shows the percent change in multifactor productivity in the largest manufacturing industries 

(those with employment over 300,000). Of those industries, multifactor productivity rose most in the 

semiconductors and electronics components industry followed by the medical equipment and supplies 

industry. Multifactor productivity rose modestly in the largest manufacturing industry, printing and 

related support activities. Aerospace products and parts posted the largest multifactor productivity 

decline in 2008 among the largest industries. 

Chart 2. Percent change in multifactor productivity in the largest (by employment) manufacturing 

industries, 2007-2008 

Multifactor productivity increased in fewer manufacturing industries in 2008 than over the longer-term 

period from 1987 to 2008. Between 1987 and 2008, multifactor productivity increased in 45 of 86 

manufacturing industries (52 percent). (See table 2.) Output increased in 60 industries while combined 

inputs increased in 59 industries over the period. 

Chart 3 shows a broader and more negative distribution of multifactor productivity growth rates in the 

most recent year compared to the longer-term period from 1987 to 2008. 

-11.5

-4.4

-3.1

-2.1

-1.9

-0.3

0.4

0.8

1.9

2.7

2.9

4.5

7.2

-15 -10 -5 0 5 10

Aerospace products and parts

Plastics products

Animal slaughtering and processing

Architectural and structural metals

Converted paper products

Other miscellaneous manufacturing

Printing and related support activities

Machine shops and threaded products

Household and institutional furniture

Motor vehicle parts

Electronic instruments

Medical equipment and supplies

Semiconductors and electronic components

Percent change
- 3 -

Chart 3. Distribution of annual percent change in multifactor productivity for manufacturing industries, 

1987-2008 and 2007-2008 

 

Table 3 presents average annual multifactor productivity growth by industry for 1987 to 2008 and 

various subperiods. From 2000 to 2008, multifactor productivity grew in 53 of the 86 manufacturing 

industries, more than in any of the other periods shown except 1990-1995. (See Chart 4.) 

Chart 4. Number of manufacturing industries with multifactor productivity growth, 1987-2008 and selected 

subperiods 

Transportation industries 

In 2008 multifactor productivity rose in air transportation, as output declined 3.1 percent and combined 

inputs, led by reductions in intermediate inputs, dropped 3.7 percent. Multifactor productivity in linehaul railroads fell, as output declined 1.0 percent and combined inputs increased 0.9 percent. 

Productivity performance was worse in 2008 than over the 1987-2008 period for both industries. 

Multifactor productivity in air transportation rose at an average annual rate of 1.0 percent over the 

period, as output rose 3.1 percent annually and combined inputs rose 2.1 percent per year. Multifactor 

productivity in line-haul railroads grew 2.2 percent per year on average from 1987 to 2008, as output 

rose 2.2 percent per year and combined inputs showed no change. 

19

7

4

10

3

7 9 7 8

2

10

0000

6

30

36

9

2 1 2

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Number of industries

Average annual percent change

2007-2008

1987-2008

45

32

59

33

53

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1987-2008 1987-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2008

Number of industries

Period
- 4 -

Technical Note

Multifactor Productivity: Multifactor productivity measures for detailed industries are derived by 

dividing an index of industry output by an index of the combined inputs of labor, capital, and 

intermediate purchases. Multifactor productivity growth measures the extent to which output has grown 

faster than measured inputs, and reflects the joint influences on economic growth of a number of factors, 

including technological change, returns to scale, improved skills of the workforce, better management 

techniques, or other efficiency improvements. 

Year-to-year movements in industry multifactor productivity measures may be erratic, particularly in 

smaller industries. The annual measure based on sample data may differ from measures generated by a 

census of establishments in the industry. Annual changes in an industry’s output, labor, capital, and 

intermediate purchases may reflect cyclical changes in the economy as well as long-term trends. As a 

result, long-term multifactor productivity changes tend to be more reliable indicators of industry 

performance than year-to-year changes. 

Output: Manufacturing industry output is measured as annual sectoral output, the total value, in real 

terms, of goods and services produced for sale outside the industry. Industry value of production is 

derived by adjusting industry shipments for changes in inventories and subtracting intra-industry 

transfers and resales. For most manufacturing industries, real output is measured by deflating nominal 

value of production, but for a few industries physical quantities of output are measured. Output 

measures for manufacturing industries are constructed using data primarily from the economic censuses 

and annual surveys of the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, together with 

information on price changes chiefly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

For air transportation and line-haul railroads, annual real output is measured by aggregating freight tonmiles and passenger-miles. For air transportation, data on passenger-miles and freight ton-miles from the 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), are combined 

using revenue weights from that source. For line-haul railroads, data on freight ton-miles and passengermiles from the Surface Transportation Board (STB) of DOT, the Association of American Railroads 

(AAR), and AMTRAK are aggregated using operating expenses from those sources as weights. 

Wherever possible, the indexes of industry output are calculated with a Törnqvist formula. This formula 

aggregates the growth rates of the various industry outputs between two periods, using their relative 

shares in industry value of production, averaged over the two periods, as weights. 

Combined Inputs: The index of combined inputs is a Törnqvist index of separate quantity indexes of 

capital, labor, and intermediate purchases. The annual growth rates of the various inputs are aggregated 

using their relative cost shares in total industry value of production as weights. The labor weight is based 

on labor compensation including fringe benefits. The weight for intermediate purchases is based on the 

total cost of materials, fuels, electricity, and purchased services. The capital weight is based on the value 

of sectoral production minus the values of labor compensation and intermediate purchases. 

Capital Input: Capital input reflects the flow of services derived from the stock of physical assets. 

Capital services are estimated by calculating capital stocks; changes in the stocks are assumed to be 

proportional to changes in capital services for each asset. For the manufacturing industries, physical 

capital is composed of 26 categories of equipment, 2 categories of structures, 3 categories of inventories, 

and land. 

Capital stocks are calculated using the perpetual inventory method, which takes into account the 

continual additions to and subtractions from the stock of capital as new investment and retirement of old 
- 5 -

capital occur. The perpetual inventory method measures stocks at the end of a year equal to a weighted 

sum of all past investments, where the weights are each asset’s efficiency relative to a new asset. A 

hyperbolic age-efficiency function is assumed for calculating the relative efficiency of an asset at 

different ages. 

For manufacturing industries, estimates of investment by asset type for each industry are derived using 

annual capital expenditures for detailed industries from the economic censuses and annual surveys of the 

Bureau of the Census in combination with benchmark capital flow tables and annual detailed asset 

investment by industry from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Price changes are removed from 

the annual investment data before calculating stocks. Price deflators for each asset category are 

constructed by combining detailed price indexes (mostly PPIs) with weights from the BEA capital flow 

tables that reflect each industry’s use of individual asset commodities. 

For air transportation, a weighted index of 44 types of airframes and 34 types of engines is derived from 

quantities and purchase prices from BTS. For assets other than airframes and engines, current dollar 

capital stocks are calculated with the perpetual inventory method. Inventories of parts and supplies are 

also included; the current dollar series is deflated with a weighted cost index based on data from the Air 

Transport Association (ATA) and BTS. Indexes for aircraft and engines, non-aircraft assets, and parts 

and supplies inventories are aggregated using cost share weights to derive an overall measure of capital 

input. 

For line-haul railroads, current dollar investment for 10 categories of equipment and 13 categories of 

structures, obtained from STB and AMTRAK, were deflated with BLS producer price indexes and 

deflators based on BEA data. The perpetual inventory method was used to calculate capital stocks for 

each of the items. Inventories of materials and supplies are also included. Estimates of investments in 

land from STB and AMTRAK were deflated with price indexes from BEA. 

The index of aggregate capital input for each manufacturing and transportation industry is calculated as 

an annually-chained Törnqvist quantity index. To construct the index, the growth rates of the stocks of 

each type of asset are aggregated using weights that are the average of each asset type’s cost share in 

successive years. The asset costs are estimated by multiplying the asset stocks by implicit rental prices. 

Labor Input: For manufacturing industries, the primary source of industry employment and hours data 

is the BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. The CES provides monthly data on the number 

of total and production worker jobs held by wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments, as well 

as data on the average weekly hours of production workers in those establishments. Data from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS) are also used to supplement the CES data. CPS data are used to 

estimate employment and hours of self-employed and unpaid family workers in each industry. Data 

from the CPS, together with the CES data, are also used to estimate the historical average weekly hours 

of nonproduction workers for each industry. Hours of all persons in an industry are treated as 

homogeneous and are directly aggregated. 

For air transportation and line-haul railroads, labor input measures are derived primarily from DOT data. 

For air transportation, annual estimates are based on monthly data from BTS. For line-haul railroads, 

total labor hours for supervisory and nonsupervisory workers are derived from STB data and 

supplemented with data from AAR. For the railroad industry, the labor input measures include an 

adjustment to remove capitalized labor hours in order to avoid double-counting, because some 

capitalized labor costs are embedded in the railroad investment data. 
- 6 -

Intermediate Purchases Input: The index of intermediate purchases is constructed as a Törnqvist index of 

separate quantities of materials, services, fuels, and electricity consumed by each industry. Except for 

electricity consumed by manufacturing industries, for which direct quantity data are available, quantities are 

derived by deflating current-dollar values with appropriate price deflators. 

For manufacturing industries, nominal values of materials, fuels and electricity, and quantities of 

electricity consumed by each industry are obtained from economic censuses and annual surveys of the 

Bureau of the Census. To avoid double counting, an adjustment is made to the materials estimates to 

exclude the value of intra-industry commodity transfers. Purchased business services are estimated using 

annual industry data and benchmark input-output tables from BEA. 

Constant-dollar materials consumed are derived by dividing annual current-dollar industry purchases by 

a weighted price deflator for each industry. Materials deflators are constructed for each industry by 

combining detailed producer price indexes and import price indexes from BLS using weights based on 

detailed commodity data from the BEA benchmark input-output tables. Aggregate price indexes to deflate 

purchased business services are constructed in a similar manner. Annual total fuels consumed by each 

industry are also deflated with weighted price deflators. Producer price indexes for individual fuel 

categories are weighted together with weights reflecting detailed fuels expenditures by industry from the 

Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. Department of Energy. 

For air transportation, detailed cost of materials, services, fuels, and electricity from the BTS were 

deflated using cost indexes from ATA. For line-haul railroads, intermediate purchases data from STB 

were supplemented with data from other sources including AAR, AMTRAK, EIA, and the Edison 

Electric Institute. The nominal values were deflated with producer price indexes from BLS and implicit 

price deflators calculated from BEA investment data. 

Revisions: This news release incorporates annual Census Bureau data from the 2007 Economic Census 

and the 2008 Annual Survey of Manufactures, and annual data and benchmark revisions from the BLS 

Current Employment Statistics survey published in February, 2010. The multifactor productivity 

measures included in this release also reflect several other changes since the last release of data for 

multifactor productivity on August 29, 2008. The measures now reflect data classified according to the 

2007 NAICS definitions. In addition, the multifactor productivity measures for manufacturing industries 

have been revised to include the output and combined capital, labor and intermediate inputs of 

nonemployer firms, including the hours and labor compensation of self-employed and unpaid family 

workers. In addition, the index series have been rebased from 1997=100 to 2002=100. 

Additional Information: Industry multifactor productivity and related measures are available online on 

the BLS Multifactor Productivity and Costs website at http://www.bls.gov/mfp. Additional data are 

available upon request by sending an e-mail to dipsweb@bls.gov or by calling the Division of Industry 

Productivity Studies at 202-691-5618. Information in this report will be made available to sensoryimpaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5618; TDD message referral phone number: 

1-800-877-8339. 

To subscribe to the industry productivity program’s electronic notification service, send an e-mail to 

dipsnews@bls.gov with the word “subscribe” in the subject line. 
2008 

NAICS Industry Employment Multifactor Combined Labor Intermediate

code (thousands) productivity Output inputs Hours Capital purchases

 Manufacturing

3111 Animal food 53 -3.0 -0.6 2.5 5.8 0.9 2.8

3112 Grain and oilseed milling 62 -2.7 1.4 4.2 5.3 -2.2 6.7

3113 Sugar and confectionery products 74 -7.4 -8.2 -0.9 -0.6 -1.4 -0.6

3114 Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty 173 -3.4 -2.5 1.0 -0.1 0.0 1.6

3115 Dairy products 132 -2.4 2.3 4.8 -5.2 1.5 7.0

3116 Animal slaughtering and processing 514 -3.1 1.6 4.9 -0.9 3.7 6.1

3117 Seafood product preparation and packaging 39 -11.6 -13.6 -2.3 -1.0 5.9 -3.9

3118 Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing 300 -5.9 -5.1 0.8 2.6 -0.2 0.4

3119 Other food products 164 0.3 -0.1 -0.4 -1.5 0.5 -0.8

3121 Beverages 179 -2.6 -5.3 -2.7 -5.4 0.8 -4.4

3122 Tobacco and tobacco products 22 -7.8 -10.6 -3.0 2.7 -5.2 11.5

3131 Fiber, yarn, and thread mills 37 -4.4 -13.4 -9.5 -14.5 -4.5 -8.9

3132 Fabric mills 72 -4.4 -13.5 -9.5 -17.8 -3.9 -7.9

3133 Textile and fabric finishing mills 52 -13.1 -22.2 -10.5 -8.8 -4.4 -11.5

3141 Textile furnishings mills 82 -6.2 -12.6 -6.9 -10.2 -2.4 -7.7

3149 Other textile product mills 81 -4.4 -1.1 3.4 -0.6 2.5 6.0

3151 Apparel knitting mills 32 -0.6 -15.0 -14.5 -12.0 -6.1 -16.0

3152 Cut and sew apparel 172 2.0 -13.2 -14.9 -11.9 -4.9 -18.6

3159 Accessories and other apparel 17 0.3 -14.6 -14.9 -14.6 -3.7 -15.4

3161 Leather and hide tanning and finishing 5 5.0 -12.3 -16.5 -9.9 -3.5 -18.4

3162 Footwear 17 12.0 11.6 -0.3 -5.5 -3.2 2.6

3169 Other leather products 15 -10.1 -16.5 -7.1 -12.2 1.0 -6.1

3211 Sawmills and wood preservation 106 2.6 -9.4 -11.7 -12.5 -3.1 -12.1

3212 Plywood and engineered wood products 90 -5.5 -18.3 -13.5 -14.9 -0.9 -13.6

3219 Other wood products 290 -3.0 -14.6 -12.0 -11.6 0.4 -13.8

3221 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills 127 -2.1 -4.1 -2.0 -4.6 -3.1 -0.8

3222 Converted paper products 319 -1.9 -4.5 -2.7 -3.4 -0.1 -3.1

3231 Printing and related support activities 623 0.4 -6.0 -6.4 -7.3 0.4 -7.3

3241 Petroleum and coal products 118 -0.4 0.6 1.1 3.7 4.6 0.5

3251 Basic chemicals 153 -10.9 -12.3 -1.5 3.4 0.9 -2.8

3252 Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers 104 -7.5 -13.2 -6.2 -5.2 -1.0 -7.1

3253 Agricultural chemicals 37 -12.1 -8.6 4.1 -7.6 0.3 8.6

3254 Pharmaceuticals and medicines 292 -5.0 -4.2 0.8 -2.9 0.7 2.9

3255 Paints, coatings, and adhesives 62 -3.3 -9.1 -6.0 -5.3 -0.8 -7.2

3256 Soaps, cleaning compounds, and toiletries 112 -10.4 -9.6 0.8 -4.3 1.2 1.5

3259 Other chemical products and preparations 96 -2.8 -6.0 -3.2 -6.7 -1.9 -2.6

3261 Plastics products 589 -4.4 -8.8 -4.5 -4.2 0.3 -5.9

3262 Rubber products 145 -5.1 -11.4 -6.6 -4.2 0.3 -8.3

3271 Clay products and refractories 57 -4.5 -9.4 -5.1 -8.1 -0.3 -4.5

3272 Glass and glass products 104 2.1 -3.5 -5.5 0.5 -1.8 -9.3

3273 Cement and concrete products 223 -9.6 -17.6 -8.8 -11.3 3.9 -13.0

3274 Lime and gypsum products 18 4.1 -7.2 -10.8 -5.6 4.3 -16.8

3279 Other nonmetallic mineral products 79 1.1 -6.1 -7.1 -7.2 1.4 -11.3

3311 Iron and steel mills and ferroalloy production 100 -3.5 6.7 10.6 -1.7 0.1 15.5

3312 Steel products from purchased steel 62 -8.7 -7.9 0.8 -3.5 -3.8 3.3

3313 Alumina and aluminum production 66 -0.7 -9.4 -8.8 -8.0 0.0 -10.2

3314 Other nonferrous metal production 67 5.9 2.1 -3.6 -2.4 2.3 -5.9

3315 Foundries 148 -4.2 -13.4 -9.6 -6.8 2.1 -11.9

Table 1. Multifactor productivity and related data for 88 industries, percent change, 2007-2008

Percent change, 2007-2008
2008 

NAICS Industry Employment Multifactor Combined Labor Intermediate

code (thousands) productivity Output inputs Hours Capital purchases

3321 Forging and stamping 107 1.0 -3.6 -4.5 -3.7 0.8 -6.0

3322 Cutlery and hand tools 49 -1.7 -11.8 -10.3 -8.8 -0.8 -13.1

3323 Architectural and structural metals 412 -2.1 -4.5 -2.5 -3.7 1.1 -2.8

3324 Boilers, tanks, and shipping containers 98 0.5 -2.4 -2.9 -0.3 1.4 -4.9

3325 Hardware 30 -0.2 -13.8 -13.6 -19.9 -1.8 -12.8

3326 Spring and wire products 53 1.0 -6.6 -7.5 -10.4 0.5 -7.4

3327 Machine shops and threaded products 370 0.8 -0.9 -1.7 -4.4 3.1 -1.4

3328 Coating, engraving, and heat treating metals 145 3.6 -0.1 -3.5 -1.3 1.4 -6.4

3329 Other fabricated metal products 286 1.3 -2.0 -3.2 -5.8 1.4 -4.1

3331 Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery 244 2.4 4.0 1.5 1.7 4.2 0.7

3332 Industrial machinery 124 -5.4 -13.6 -8.7 -4.4 -1.4 -11.2

3333 Commercial and service industry machinery 105 3.2 -0.4 -3.5 -6.2 -1.6 -2.6

3334 HVAC and commercial refrigeration equipment 151 1.2 -2.9 -4.0 -2.4 -1.0 -5.4

3335 Metalworking machinery 195 2.2 0.5 -1.6 0.4 -0.9 -3.2

3336 Turbine and power transmission equipment 106 0.5 -0.1 -0.7 2.7 1.6 -1.9

3339 Other general purpose machinery 277 -1.0 -3.9 -3.0 0.4 -0.1 -5.0

3341 Computer and peripheral equipment 185 41.9 35.8 -4.3 2.2 0.4 -7.4

3342 Communications equipment 130 5.8 -2.4 -7.8 2.4 -1.0 -13.6

3343 Audio and video equipment 28 -9.0 -20.2 -12.2 -5.3 -6.2 -14.4

3344 Semiconductors and electronic components 434 7.2 3.1 -3.9 -1.3 6.8 -13.0

3345 Electronic instruments 444 2.9 4.3 1.3 2.0 0.6 1.1

3346 Magnetic media manufacturing and reproduction 35 12.0 3.7 -7.4 -13.1 -2.3 -5.4

3351 Electric lighting equipment 59 0.5 -3.1 -3.5 -5.0 -0.2 -3.9

3352 Household appliances 71 -1.5 -10.9 -9.5 -7.3 -1.7 -12.0

3353 Electrical equipment 161 -0.1 -0.1 0.0 4.2 -0.8 -1.4

3359 Other electrical equipment and components 138 0.3 -2.6 -2.9 -0.3 0.0 -4.5

3361 Motor vehicles 192 -5.3 -19.9 -15.5 -11.7 -3.8 -17.8

3362 Motor vehicle bodies and trailers 142 -2.3 -21.9 -20.0 -17.1 -2.8 -21.7

3363 Motor vehicle parts 550 2.7 -17.1 -19.4 -13.0 -3.3 -21.7

3364 Aerospace products and parts 508 -11.5 -6.9 5.2 2.4 0.9 8.4

3365 Railroad rolling stock 29 6.1 18.0 11.2 1.1 2.0 15.0

3366 Ship and boat building 157 1.1 2.9 1.8 -8.9 3.1 7.0

3369 Other transportation equipment 44 2.7 9.0 6.1 5.0 6.7 6.1

3371 Household and institutional furniture 335 1.9 -10.1 -11.7 -14.2 -2.6 -11.7

3372 Office furniture and fixtures 133 0.0 -5.1 -5.1 -5.9 -1.7 -6.0

3379 Other furniture-related products 45 -2.4 -13.6 -11.5 -15.7 -1.5 -12.9

3391 Medical equipment and supplies 324 4.5 6.2 1.6 3.4 3.1 -1.1

3399 Other miscellaneous manufacturing 375 -0.3 -4.3 -4.1 -3.7 -0.6 -5.3

Transportation

481 Air Transportation 427 0.6 -3.1 -3.7 -1.8 0.0 -4.8

482111 Line-Haul Railroads 184 -1.9 -1.0 0.9 0.1 1.3 1.2

 

Percent change, 2007-2008

Table 1. Multifactor productivity and related data for 88 industries, percent change, 2007-2008-Continued
NAICS Industry Multifactor Combined Labor Intermediate

code productivity Output inputs Hours Capital purchases

 Manufacturing

3111 Animal food 0.4 2.0 1.7 -0.7 2.2 1.8

3112 Grain and oilseed milling 0.0 1.3 1.2 -0.8 1.1 1.5

3113 Sugar and confectionery products 0.1 -0.1 -0.2 -0.9 1.3 -0.9

3114 Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty 0.3 1.3 1.0 -0.3 1.7 1.1

3115 Dairy products -0.4 1.0 1.4 -0.6 1.9 1.6

3116 Animal slaughtering and processing 0.6 2.3 1.7 1.4 2.8 1.6

3117 Seafood product preparation and packaging -0.4 0.1 0.5 -0.8 1.6 0.6

3118 Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing -1.1 0.3 1.4 -0.2 1.9 2.1

3119 Other food products 0.5 2.0 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.5

3121 Beverages 0.7 1.5 0.8 -0.4 0.9 0.9

3122 Tobacco and tobacco products -1.0 -3.1 -2.1 -3.6 -2.1 -3.4

3131 Fiber, yarn, and thread mills 0.6 -1.5 -2.0 -5.4 -0.9 -1.2

3132 Fabric mills 0.9 -2.6 -3.4 -7.1 -1.4 -2.4

3133 Textile and fabric finishing mills -0.3 -3.6 -3.3 -4.2 -1.3 -3.4

3141 Textile furnishings mills -0.2 -1.5 -1.3 -2.2 -0.2 -1.5

3149 Other textile product mills 0.1 -0.2 -0.3 -1.5 1.7 -0.2

3151 Apparel knitting mills -1.3 -6.8 -5.6 -6.2 -2.0 -5.9

3152 Cut and sew apparel -1.0 -8.5 -7.5 -7.2 -1.9 -8.9

3159 Accessories and other apparel -1.8 -6.9 -5.3 -4.4 -1.3 -6.0

3161 Leather and hide tanning and finishing -1.1 -4.8 -3.8 -5.4 -1.7 -3.9

3162 Footwear 0.2 -5.6 -5.7 -7.9 -3.0 -5.1

3169 Other leather products -0.2 -3.5 -3.3 -4.9 -0.7 -3.3

3211 Sawmills and wood preservation -0.1 0.1 0.2 -2.3 0.1 1.5

3212 Plywood and engineered wood products -0.5 -0.1 0.4 -0.8 2.0 0.8

3219 Other wood products -0.5 0.1 0.6 -1.0 2.0 1.2

3221 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills -0.3 -0.2 0.1 -3.1 -0.1 1.4

3222 Converted paper products -0.1 0.5 0.5 -1.0 1.6 0.7

3231 Printing and related support activities -0.2 0.1 0.3 -1.3 2.4 0.8

3241 Petroleum and coal products 0.3 1.2 0.9 -1.3 1.5 1.0

3251 Basic chemicals -0.9 0.5 1.5 -2.1 0.9 2.4

3252 Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers 0.0 0.5 0.5 -1.6 1.1 0.7

3253 Agricultural chemicals 0.6 0.5 -0.2 -2.1 -1.0 0.7

3254 Pharmaceuticals and medicines -1.2 3.0 4.3 2.4 5.2 4.0

3255 Paints, coatings, and adhesives -1.0 -0.3 0.7 -1.4 0.7 1.3

3256 Soaps, cleaning compounds, and toiletries 0.2 2.3 2.1 -0.7 2.3 2.5

3259 Other chemical products and preparations -0.8 0.0 0.9 -2.3 0.5 2.1

3261 Plastics products 0.0 2.0 2.0 0.1 3.6 2.3

3262 Rubber products 0.4 0.4 0.0 -1.7 0.8 0.8

3271 Clay products and refractories -0.2 -1.1 -1.0 -2.4 -0.2 -0.3

3272 Glass and glass products 0.8 0.5 -0.3 -1.5 0.8 -0.1

3273 Cement and concrete products -0.4 1.1 1.4 0.6 1.6 1.6

3274 Lime and gypsum products -0.4 0.0 0.4 -1.0 1.6 0.2

3279 Other nonmetallic mineral products 1.0 1.5 0.5 -0.2 0.6 0.8

3311 Iron and steel mills and ferroalloy production 0.7 2.5 1.7 -2.6 -1.7 4.1

3312 Steel products from purchased steel -0.6 -1.6 -1.0 -0.7 -1.6 -0.8

3313 Alumina and aluminum production -0.4 -0.1 0.4 -2.5 -0.1 1.3

3314 Other nonferrous metal production -1.2 -0.9 0.3 -2.3 -0.3 1.1

3315 Foundries -0.1 0.1 0.2 -1.9 0.3 1.8

Average annual percent change, 1987-2008

Table 2. Multifactor productivity and related data for 88 industries, average annual percent change, 1987-2008 
NAICS Industry Multifactor Combined Labor Intermediate

code productivity Output inputs Hours Capital purchases

3321 Forging and stamping 1.0 1.8 0.8 -1.0 2.0 1.5

3322 Cutlery and hand tools -0.4 -0.9 -0.5 -2.3 0.3 0.4

3323 Architectural and structural metals -0.2 1.8 2.0 0.7 1.5 2.8

3324 Boilers, tanks, and shipping containers 0.5 0.3 -0.2 -0.5 0.0 -0.1

3325 Hardware -0.9 -2.6 -1.7 -3.8 -0.1 -1.0

3326 Spring and wire products 0.9 0.7 -0.1 -2.0 1.3 0.5

3327 Machine shops and threaded products 1.2 3.3 2.1 0.8 2.9 3.1

3328 Coating, engraving, and heat treating metals 1.4 3.4 1.9 0.3 2.4 2.7

3329 Other fabricated metal products 0.0 0.9 0.9 -0.8 0.9 2.0

3331 Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery 0.9 3.6 2.8 0.6 0.4 4.0

3332 Industrial machinery 0.3 1.6 1.3 -0.9 2.2 2.4

3333 Commercial and service industry machinery -0.6 -0.2 0.4 -1.7 0.4 1.6

3334 HVAC and commercial refrigeration equipment 0.7 1.7 1.0 -0.4 1.4 1.5

3335 Metalworking machinery 0.9 0.6 -0.3 -1.5 0.9 0.6

3336 Turbine and power transmission equipment -0.1 1.8 1.9 -0.2 1.1 3.0

3339 Other general purpose machinery 0.5 1.9 1.4 -0.7 0.8 2.8

3341 Computer and peripheral equipment 17.5 20.1 2.2 -3.8 1.3 3.8

3342 Communications equipment 2.8 4.5 1.6 -2.7 3.0 3.7

3343 Audio and video equipment 1.7 0.3 -1.4 -3.5 0.6 -1.2

3344 Semiconductors and electronic components 14.0 15.2 1.0 -1.4 6.5 -0.8

3345 Electronic instruments 0.4 2.5 2.0 -1.8 1.0 5.0

3346 Magnetic media manufacturing and reproduction 3.7 2.0 -1.7 -1.5 1.5 -2.1

3351 Electric lighting equipment 0.5 0.3 -0.2 -1.8 0.5 0.3

3352 Household appliances 1.7 0.9 -0.8 -3.0 0.0 -0.2

3353 Electrical equipment 0.3 0.6 0.4 -2.1 -0.4 2.2

3359 Other electrical equipment and components 0.0 0.2 0.2 -1.8 0.6 0.9

3361 Motor vehicles 0.4 1.2 0.8 -2.2 1.0 1.0

3362 Motor vehicle bodies and trailers -0.3 1.2 1.6 0.0 1.9 2.0

3363 Motor vehicle parts 1.0 2.0 1.0 -0.8 1.3 1.8

3364 Aerospace products and parts -0.9 -0.5 0.4 -2.1 0.1 2.1

3365 Railroad rolling stock 1.1 5.9 4.8 0.7 -0.2 6.7

3366 Ship and boat building -0.4 1.3 1.7 -0.9 0.0 3.4

3369 Other transportation equipment 2.3 7.2 4.8 0.4 3.7 6.2

3371 Household and institutional furniture 0.1 0.3 0.2 -1.5 1.4 1.0

3372 Office furniture and fixtures 0.3 0.9 0.6 -0.9 1.6 1.0

3379 Other furniture-related products 0.7 1.8 1.1 -0.5 0.6 1.7

3391 Medical equipment and supplies 1.7 5.0 3.2 1.3 5.1 3.3

3399 Other miscellaneous manufacturing 0.5 1.3 0.7 -0.9 1.7 1.4

Transportation

481 Air Transportation 1.0 3.1 2.1 0.2 4.9 3.0

482111 Line-Haul Railroads 2.2 2.2 0.0 -1.9 -0.3 2.2

 

Average annual percent change, 1987-2008

Table 2. Multifactor productivity and related data for 88 industries, average annual percent change, 1987-2008-Continued 
NAICS Industry 1987-2008 1987-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2008 2007-2008

code

 Manufacturing

3111 Animal food 0.4 0.6 0.3 -0.8 1.1 -3.0

3112 Grain and oilseed milling 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.3 -0.4 -2.7

3113 Sugar and confectionery products 0.1 -0.3 0.4 1.9 -1.0 -7.4

3114 Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty 0.3 -2.6 1.3 0.9 0.4 -3.4

3115 Dairy products -0.4 -0.3 -0.6 -0.7 0.0 -2.4

3116 Animal slaughtering and processing 0.6 -0.8 1.0 1.3 0.5 -3.1

3117 Seafood product preparation and packaging -0.4 -1.2 0.0 -0.4 -0.3 -11.6

3118 Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing -1.1 -4.4 0.4 -0.8 -1.0 -5.9

3119 Other food products 0.5 -0.1 0.6 -0.2 1.2 0.3

3121 Beverages 0.7 0.3 1.0 -1.1 1.7 -2.6

3122 Tobacco and tobacco products -1.0 -1.2 -0.7 0.6 -2.1 -7.8

3131 Fiber, yarn, and thread mills 0.6 0.1 0.3 -0.1 1.3 -4.4

3132 Fabric mills 0.9 -0.1 1.3 -0.2 1.7 -4.4

3133 Textile and fabric finishing mills -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 1.0 -1.3 -13.1

3141 Textile furnishings mills -0.2 -0.6 1.2 -1.0 -0.5 -6.2

3149 Other textile product mills 0.1 -0.9 -0.2 0.4 0.6 -4.4

3151 Apparel knitting mills -1.3 0.8 1.9 -2.7 -3.1 -0.6

3152 Cut and sew apparel -1.0 -1.2 0.4 -1.2 -1.7 2.0

3159 Accessories and other apparel -1.8 0.9 0.4 -4.8 -2.2 0.3

3161 Leather and hide tanning and finishing -1.1 -3.2 -2.2 3.5 -2.3 5.0

3162 Footwear 0.2 -1.9 0.2 -0.9 1.6 12.0

3169 Other leather products -0.2 0.0 -2.3 1.6 0.0 -10.1

3211 Sawmills and wood preservation -0.1 1.5 -1.4 -2.1 1.3 2.6

3212 Plywood and engineered wood products -0.5 -0.7 -0.4 -0.9 -0.1 -5.5

3219 Other wood products -0.5 -0.8 -1.0 -0.8 0.1 -3.0

3221 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills -0.3 -1.8 -1.1 -0.4 0.9 -2.1

3222 Converted paper products -0.1 -0.6 -0.2 -0.3 0.4 -1.9

3231 Printing and related support activities -0.2 -0.4 -0.4 -1.4 0.8 0.4

3241 Petroleum and coal products 0.3 -1.9 2.1 1.9 -1.0 -0.4

3251 Basic chemicals -0.9 -1.0 -3.2 -1.2 0.7 -10.9

3252 Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers 0.0 -0.8 1.1 -0.8 0.2 -7.5

3253 Agricultural chemicals 0.6 2.1 1.0 -1.1 1.0 -12.1

3254 Pharmaceuticals and medicines -1.2 -1.8 -2.4 -2.1 0.3 -5.0

3255 Paints, coatings, and adhesives -1.0 -2.0 -0.8 -2.1 -0.2 -3.3

3256 Soaps, cleaning compounds, and toiletries 0.2 -1.4 0.2 -1.9 2.2 -10.4

3259 Other chemical products and preparations -0.8 -1.6 0.1 -1.0 -0.9 -2.8

3261 Plastics products 0.0 -0.8 1.0 0.4 -0.4 -4.4

3262 Rubber products 0.4 1.2 1.1 0.9 -0.8 -5.1

3271 Clay products and refractories -0.2 0.7 1.1 0.8 -1.8 -4.5

3272 Glass and glass products 0.8 -0.3 1.7 1.7 0.1 2.1

3273 Cement and concrete products -0.4 0.6 0.3 0.0 -1.4 -9.6

3274 Lime and gypsum products -0.4 -1.4 -2.5 0.6 0.7 4.1

3279 Other nonmetallic mineral products 1.0 -1.4 2.0 -0.5 2.3 1.1

3311 Iron and steel mills and ferroalloy production 0.7 1.3 1.9 1.9 -1.0 -3.5

3312 Steel products from purchased steel -0.6 1.1 2.3 -0.2 -3.2 -8.7

3313 Alumina and aluminum production -0.4 -0.2 -0.7 -0.3 -0.4 -0.7

3314 Other nonferrous metal production -1.2 -1.6 1.5 0.0 -3.5 5.9

3315 Foundries -0.1 -0.2 1.5 0.0 -1.3 -4.2

Average annual percent change

Table 3. Multifactor productivity trends, 1987-2008 and selected subperiods 
NAICS Industry 1987-2008 1987-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2008 2007-2008

code

3321 Forging and stamping 1.0 -0.6 0.9 0.8 1.7 1.0

3322 Cutlery and hand tools -0.4 -1.5 0.9 -0.5 -0.8 -1.7

3323 Architectural and structural metals -0.2 -1.2 0.8 -0.7 0.0 -2.1

3324 Boilers, tanks, and shipping containers 0.5 0.6 1.2 0.1 0.2 0.5

3325 Hardware -0.9 -2.2 0.6 -0.2 -1.8 -0.2

3326 Spring and wire products 0.9 0.4 1.5 0.4 1.0 1.0

3327 Machine shops and threaded products 1.2 1.0 3.2 0.0 0.7 0.8

3328 Coating, engraving, and heat treating metals 1.4 0.8 2.0 -0.7 2.7 3.6

3329 Other fabricated metal products 0.0 -1.8 0.2 -0.9 1.2 1.3

3331 Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery 0.9 2.5 -0.2 -1.0 2.1 2.4

3332 Industrial machinery 0.3 0.2 1.5 -0.5 0.0 -5.4

3333 Commercial and service industry machinery -0.6 0.8 -0.8 -1.6 -0.3 3.2

3334 HVAC and commercial refrigeration equipment 0.7 -0.2 0.7 0.6 1.0 1.2

3335 Metalworking machinery 0.9 0.1 1.2 -0.7 2.0 2.2

3336 Turbine and power transmission equipment -0.1 -0.6 -0.1 0.8 -0.4 0.5

3339 Other general purpose machinery 0.5 0.4 0.0 -0.1 1.1 -1.0

3341 Computer and peripheral equipment 17.5 5.4 11.7 21.8 23.5 41.9

3342 Communications equipment 2.8 3.6 3.7 1.3 2.8 5.8

3343 Audio and video equipment 1.7 3.7 1.8 0.2 1.7 -9.0

3344 Semiconductors and electronic components 14.0 7.2 18.2 22.8 8.9 7.2

3345 Electronic instruments 0.4 1.6 -0.3 -4.3 3.6 2.9

3346 Magnetic media manufacturing and reproduction 3.7 1.1 5.8 0.1 5.8 12.0

3351 Electric lighting equipment 0.5 -1.8 0.1 0.2 1.7 0.5

3352 Household appliances 1.7 -0.1 2.4 0.9 2.5 -1.5

3353 Electrical equipment 0.3 0.4 1.7 -2.4 1.0 -0.1

3359 Other electrical equipment and components 0.0 -1.8 0.9 0.3 -0.1 0.3

3361 Motor vehicles 0.4 0.2 -1.4 0.3 1.8 -5.3

3362 Motor vehicle bodies and trailers -0.3 -3.0 2.0 -2.0 0.2 -2.3

3363 Motor vehicle parts 1.0 -0.8 1.9 -0.3 1.9 2.7

3364 Aerospace products and parts -0.9 -2.8 -1.7 -1.8 0.9 -11.5

3365 Railroad rolling stock 1.1 2.2 -1.3 4.0 0.5 6.1

3366 Ship and boat building -0.4 -0.1 -2.0 -0.3 0.4 1.1

3369 Other transportation equipment 2.3 -1.8 4.1 -0.9 4.9 2.7

3371 Household and institutional furniture 0.1 -0.6 0.6 -0.6 0.5 1.9

3372 Office furniture and fixtures 0.3 -2.6 0.2 1.7 0.6 0.0

3379 Other furniture-related products 0.7 0.0 0.6 -0.3 1.6 -2.4

3391 Medical equipment and supplies 1.7 2.6 0.3 2.1 2.1 4.5

3399 Other miscellaneous manufacturing 0.5 1.2 0.6 -0.2 0.6 -0.3

Transportation

481 Air Transportation 1.0 -1.2 0.5 0.1 2.9 0.6

482111 Line-Haul Railroads 2.2 4.4 4.1 1.2 0.9 -1.9

 

Average annual percent change

Table 3. Multifactor productivity trends, 1987-2008 and selected subperiods -Continued