US leads productivity

DUBLIN – US workers are the world’s most productive, followed by the Irish, though productivity is rising fastest in China and much of the rest of Asia, according to the International Labour Organisation.

When measured per hour rather than the total number of hours worked, however, oil-rich Norway was the most productive, with the United States second and France third, the ILO said in a report that it publishes every two years. It used mostly data for 2006.”The difference in rankings can be explained by the fact that annual working hours per person employed are considerably higher in the United States than in the majority of European economies,” the report said.Ireland’s number two ranking was in terms of total hours worked, while the country came in fifth in terms of productivity per hour.Among the wealthy industrialised nations, ILO figures showed that long-term productivity improvements were often more marked in Western Europe and Japan than the United States.The average annual rate of productivity growth in the US was 1,7 per cent between 1980 and 2005, whether measured in terms of total hours worked or per hour.By comparison, the annual rise in British output per worker over the same period was 2,1 per cent when based on total hours per worker each year, and 2,4 per cent if measured per hour.For France, productivity rose 1,5 per cent per year based on total hours worked and 2,2 per cent when calculated in terms of output per hour.For Germany the rises were 1,4 and 1,8 per cent respectively, for Italy 1,1 and 1,4 per cent, and for Japan 1,8 and 2,5 per cent.While coming from way behind, productivity growth is fastest in China and other parts of east Asia.Although the data is sketchier, it basically pointed to a near doubling of productivity in east Asia over the past decade, the ILO said.Output per worker had risen from one-eighth of the level of the industrialised countries in 1996 to one-fifth of that level in 2006, it said.In 2006, the productivity rise was 3,3 per cent at the global level, 2,1 per cent for the industrialised world and 8,5 per cent in East Asia, a region dominated by China.In contrast, sub-Saharan Africa’s weak economic performance resulted in an increase of 24 million in the number of working poor, those earning less than US$1 per day, it said.The ILO also noted that world unemployment edged downwards again in 2006 to 6,3 per cent from 6,4 per cent and that farming was no longer the dominant source of employment in the world, even if it was still the main one in least developed countries.The service sector accounted for 42 per cent of employment in the world in 2006, and agriculture 36,1 per cent, it said.Nampa-ReutersIt used mostly data for 2006.”The difference in rankings can be explained by the fact that annual working hours per person employed are considerably higher in the United States than in the majority of European economies,” the report said.Ireland’s number two ranking was in terms of total hours worked, while the country came in fifth in terms of productivity per hour.Among the wealthy industrialised nations, ILO figures showed that long-term productivity improvements were often more marked in Western Europe and Japan than the United States.The average annual rate of productivity growth in the US was 1,7 per cent between 1980 and 2005, whether measured in terms of total hours worked or per hour.By comparison, the annual rise in British output per worker over the same period was 2,1 per cent when based on total hours per worker each year, and 2,4 per cent if measured per hour.For France, productivity rose 1,5 per cent per year based on total hours worked and 2,2 per cent when calculated in terms of output per hour.For Germany the rises were 1,4 and 1,8 per cent respectively, for Italy 1,1 and 1,4 per cent, and for Japan 1,8 and 2,5 per cent.While coming from way behind, productivity growth is fastest in China and other parts of east Asia.Although the data is sketchier, it basically pointed to a near doubling of productivity in east Asia over the past decade, the ILO said.Output per worker had risen from one-eighth of the level of the industrialised countries in 1996 to one-fifth of that level in 2006, it said.In 2006, the productivity rise was 3,3 per cent at the global level, 2,1 per cent for the industrialised world and 8,5 per cent in East Asia, a region dominated by China.In contrast, sub-Saharan Africa’s weak economic performance resulted in an increase of 24 million in the number of working poor, those earning less than US$1 per day, it said.The ILO also noted that world unemployment edged downwards again in 2006 to 6,3 per cent from 6,4 per cent and that farming was no longer the dominant source of employment in the world, even if it was still the main one in least developed countries.The service sector accounted for 42 per cent of employment in the world in 2006, and agriculture 36,1 per cent, it said.Nampa-Reuters