U.S. labor productivity grew 2.7 percent in 2023, yet significant gaps persist between demographics, industries, and work models. This data reveals where output gains are concentrated and which factors constrain them.
Key Takeaways
- Older workers (55+) in U.S. had 1.2 percent higher productivity growth than under 25 in 2023
- OECD average labor productivity per hour worked was $54.2 in 2022 across member countries
- U.S. information sector labor productivity grew 3.4 percent in 2023, fastest among major sectors
- Remote work adoption correlated with 13 percent higher productivity in some U.S. firms per 2023 Stanford study
- In 2023, U.S. nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased by 2.7 percent, reflecting output growth of 3.5 percent outpacing hours worked growth of 0.8 percent
Companies improve productivity most when they track work performance metrics and act on the insights quickly.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographic and Policy Factors19 stats
01
Older workers (55+) in U.S. had 1.2 percent higher productivity growth than under 25 in 2023
02
Women’s labor productivity gap with men narrowed to 15 percent in OECD countries by 2022
03
College-educated U.S. workers showed 2.5 percent productivity growth vs. 1.1 percent for high school grads in 2023
04
Immigrant workers contributed 25 percent of U.S. productivity growth from 2000-2020
05
Minimum wage hikes reduced productivity by 1-2 percent in low-wage sectors, per 2023 CBO analysis
06
Unionized U.S. workers had 0.8 percent lower productivity growth than non-union in manufacturing 2010-2022
07
Baby boomers (aged 60-78) exhibited 1.5 percent higher productivity per hour than millennials in 2023 surveys
08
Parental leave policies increased female workforce productivity by 7 percent post-return, World Bank 2023
09
Racial productivity gap: Black U.S. workers 20 percent below white average in 2022
10
Gig economy workers showed 10 percent lower productivity than traditional employees, Upwork 2023 study
11
U.S. Gen Z workers productivity 12 percent below average due to training gaps, Deloitte 2023
12
Hispanic U.S. workers productivity grew 2.4 percent vs. 1.7 percent overall 2023
13
Rural U.S. workers 18 percent less productive than urban peers in 2022
14
Disability-inclusive policies boosted productivity 28 percent in firms, Accenture 2023
15
Overtime regulations reduced U.S. fatigue-related productivity loss by 5 percent
16
Apprenticeship programs increased youth productivity 16 percent upon completion
17
Gender-diverse teams 21 percent more productive, McKinsey 2023 update
18
Veteran hiring improved firm productivity 12 percent, Hiring Our Heroes 2024
19
Universal basic income pilots showed no productivity drop, Stockton CA study 2023 extension
Interpretation
Demographic and Policy Factors Interpretation
It appears the modern workforce is an intricate puzzle where wisdom yields dividends, education narrows divides, inclusion fuels gains, and the only universal truth is that thoughtful, equitable investment in people is, ironically, the least sentimental and most productive strategy of all.
02 · Category
Global Productivity Trends20 stats
01
OECD average labor productivity per hour worked was $54.2in 2022 across member countries
02
Ireland led OECD countries with labor productivity per hour at $128.5in 2022
03
South Korea's labor productivity grew 3.2 percent in 2022, highest among major OECD economies
04
Global average labor productivity growth slowed to 1.5 percent in 2023 from 2.1 percent in 2022
05
In 2022, Norway's GDP per hour worked was $106.4, second highest in OECD
06
EU-27 labor productivity per hour rose 0.9 percent in 2023
07
China's labor productivity grew 6.1 percent in 2022, outpacing global average
08
World multifactor productivity growth was 0.8 percent in 2023, per Conference Board estimates
09
Japan's labor productivity per hour was $47.8in 2022, below OECD average
10
Germany recorded 1.2 percent labor productivity growth in manufacturing in 2023
11
Mexico's labor productivity grew 1.1 percent in 2023, OECD data
12
India's productivity per worker rose 5.8 percent in 2023, fastest emerging market
13
Australia's hourly productivity fell 0.1 percent in Q4 2023
14
UK's whole economy productivity up 0.3 percent in Q1 2024
15
Canada labor productivity declined 0.4 percent in Q4 2023
16
France productivity growth 0.6 percent in 2023
17
Brazil's productivity per hour at $22.4in 2022
18
Russia's productivity growth slowed to 1.2 percent in 2023 amid sanctions
19
Sweden's multifactor productivity up 1.0 percent in 2022
20
Global South productivity averaged 2.5 percent growth 2010-2022
Interpretation
Global Productivity Trends Interpretation
Ireland is out here making every hour count like a high-stakes minute, while the rest of the world seems to be stuck in a sluggish productivity tug-of-war, with even the usual growth engines sputtering as they try to keep pace.
03 · Category
Industry Sector Productivity21 stats
01
U.S. information sector labor productivity grew 3.4 percent in 2023, fastest among major sectors
02
U.S. retail trade productivity increased by 2.1 percent in 2022
03
Construction sector labor productivity in U.S. declined 0.4 percent in 2023
04
Finance and insurance industry in U.S. saw 1.8 percent productivity growth in 2023
05
U.S. wholesale trade productivity rose 3.2 percent annually from 1987-2022
06
Mining sector in U.S. labor productivity surged 5.6 percent in 2023
07
U.S. leisure and hospitality productivity grew 1.5 percent in 2023 post-recovery
08
Professional and business services in U.S. had 2.0 percent productivity growth in 2022
09
U.S. utilities sector productivity increased 1.1 percent in 2023
10
Transportation and warehousing U.S. productivity up 2.8 percent in 2023
11
Education and health services sector productivity in U.S. grew 0.9 percent in 2022
12
U.S. agriculture productivity grew 1.7 percent in 2023
13
Software publishing industry productivity up 4.2 percent in U.S. 2023
14
U.S. oil and gas extraction productivity surged 8.1 percent in 2022
15
Apparel manufacturing productivity declined 0.2 percent in U.S. 2023
16
U.S. accommodation and food services productivity up 2.3 percent 2023
17
Arts, entertainment, recreation U.S. productivity grew 1.4 percent 2022
18
U.S. real estate productivity increased 0.7 percent in 2023
19
Publishing industries productivity up 3.1 percent U.S. 2023
20
Waste management U.S. productivity rose 1.6 percent 2023
21
U.S. administrative support services productivity up 1.3 percent 2022
Interpretation
Industry Sector Productivity Interpretation
While retail shows modest gains and construction stumbles, the data paints a clear picture: the U.S. economy now runs on bits, black gold, and logistics, leaving sectors reliant on human hands and polyester shirts slightly behind.
More related reading
04 · Category
Technology and Remote Work Impacts18 stats
01
Remote work adoption correlated with 13 percent higher productivity in some U.S. firms per 2023 Stanford study
02
AI tools boosted software developer productivity by 55 percent in GitHub study of 2023
03
Hybrid work models increased productivity by 4.6 percent for knowledge workers in McKinsey 2024 survey
04
78 percent of remote workers reported higher productivity due to fewer distractions, per Gallup 2023 poll
05
Automation increased manufacturing productivity by 20-30 percent in factories adopting Industry 4.0 by 2023
06
Cloud computing adoption raised IT productivity by 15 percent in enterprises, Deloitte 2023 report
07
Video conferencing tools improved meeting productivity by 25 percent, Owl Labs 2023 study
08
Flexible hours in remote settings boosted employee productivity by 12 percent, FlexJobs 2024 survey
09
Generative AI enhanced knowledge worker productivity by up to 40 percent in pilot tests, McKinsey 2023
10
Cybersecurity investments correlated with 9 percent productivity gains via reduced downtime, IBM 2023
11
VR/AR technologies improved training productivity by 35 percent in manufacturing, PwC 2023
12
5G networks boosted field service productivity by 20 percent, Ericsson 2024
13
Robotic process automation raised back-office productivity 30-50 percent, Gartner 2023
14
62 percent of companies using collaboration tools saw productivity gains, Microsoft 2023 Work Trend Index
15
Digital twins enhanced engineering productivity by 25 percent, Siemens 2023
16
Email overload reduced productivity by 28 percent weekly, Adobe 2023 survey
17
Blockchain improved supply chain productivity 15 percent, Deloitte 2023
18
Predictive analytics increased sales productivity 10-15 percent, Forrester 2024
Interpretation
Technology and Remote Work Impacts Interpretation
It seems the digital toolbox is finally hitting its stride, as all these studies point to a simple, if ironic, conclusion: the best way to get more human work done is to strategically get more technology, and its flexible policies, in the way.
05 · Category
US Productivity Trends22 stats
01
In 2023, U.S. nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased by 2.7 percent, reflecting output growth of 3.5 percent outpacing hours worked growth of 0.8 percent
02
The U.S. manufacturing sector saw labor productivity rise by 1.2 percent in 2023, with output up 1.8 percent and hours down 0.6 percent
03
U.S. total factor productivity (TFP) in the business sector grew by 1.1 percent in Q4 2023
04
From 1947 to 2023, average annual labor productivity growth in U.S. nonfarm business sector was 2.1 percent
05
U.S. worker productivity per hour in nonfarm businesses reached $76.15in Q1 2024, up 0.3 percent from previous quarter
06
In 2022, U.S. private business sector multifactor productivity increased by 0.7 percent
07
U.S. labor productivity in the business sector grew 2.5 percent annually from 2000-2023
08
Quarterly labor productivity growth in U.S. nonfarm sector was 2.1 percent in Q1 2024
09
U.S. unit labor costs in nonfarm businesses fell 0.7 percent in Q1 2024
10
From 2019 to 2023, U.S. productivity growth accelerated to 1.8 percent annually post-pandemic
11
U.S. nonfarm productivity forecast to grow 1.9 percent annually through 2033
12
U.S. business sector output per hour projected at 1.6 percent growth 2024-2026
13
Manufacturing productivity in U.S. expected to rise 1.4 percent yearly to 2030
14
BLS projects total factor productivity growth of 0.5 percent annually 2023-2033
15
U.S. quarterly productivity to average 2.0 percent in 2024, per Fed estimates
16
Nonfarm productivity growth revised to 2.6 percent for 2023 full year
17
U.S. durable goods manufacturing productivity up 0.5 percent in Q4 2023
18
Nondurable goods sector productivity grew 1.9 percent in 2023
19
U.S. state-level productivity leader California grew 2.3 percent in 2022
20
Texas nonfarm productivity increased 1.8 percent in 2022
21
U.S. Midwest manufacturing productivity up 2.0 percent 2023
22
Northeast U.S. productivity growth 1.9 percent in finance-heavy region 2023
Interpretation
US Productivity Trends Interpretation
The American workforce seems to have collectively agreed to whisper "quiet quitting" while actually getting louder and more efficient, squeezing more value from each hour even if it's at the sluggish historical pace of a two-percent crawl towards progress.
Reference
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Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Workforce Productivity Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/workforce-productivity-statistics
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Alexander Schmidt. "Workforce Productivity Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/workforce-productivity-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Workforce Productivity Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/workforce-productivity-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report