Unit labor costs in the US nonfarm business sector rose by 4.4% in Q4 2025, more than earlier estimates of 2.8% and after a 1% increase in Q3. It reflects a 6.3% increase in hourly compensation and a 1.8% increase in productivity. In the manufacturing sector, unit labor costs rose 9.1%, the most since the third quarter of 2022, reflecting a 6.3% increase in hourly compensation and a 2.5 decrease in productivity. On an annual basis, nonfarm unit labor costs rose 2.4%, while manufacturing unit labor costs advanced 2.9%. For 2025, unit labour costs rose 2.3% in the nonfarm business sector and 2.4% in the manufacturing sector. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Unit Labour Costs QoQ in the United States increased to 4.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 1 percent in the third quarter of 2025. Unit Labour Costs QoQ in the United States averaged 2.83 percent from 1947 until 2025, reaching an all time high of 27.30 percent in the third quarter of 1947 and a record low of -14.30 percent in the first quarter of 2009. This page includes a chart with historical data for the United States Unit Labor Costs QoQ. United States Nonfarm Unit Labor Costs QoQ - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on March of 2026.