Below Trend:  the U.S. Productivity Slowdown since the Great Recession, Bureau of Labor Statistics (January 2017)

United States Labor Productivity Compared to Other Countries Charts and graphs provided by Bureau of Labor Statistics

What is labor productivity?

Labor productivity measures the amount of real gross domestic product (GDP) produced by an hour of labor.  To calculate a country's labor productivity, one divides the total output by the total number of labor hours.  Labor productivity should not be confused with employee productivity, which is the measure of an individual worker's productivity.

What is Productivity? Helpful video from the Bureau of Labor Statistics about productivity.

Labor Productivity and Growth Crash Course video about labor productivity and growth.

How to Increase Labor Productivity 

1.) Increased government and private investment on infrastructure.

2.) Tax and welfare reforms to improve work incentives.

3.) Improve access to quality healthcare to reduce sickness and absence in the workplace.

4.) Deregulation of markets to encourage stronger competition.

5.) Improving the quality and affordability of education and job training.

How to Increase Labor Productivity 15 policies used to increase labor productivity.