Unit labor costs in the US nonfarm business sector increased 1.2% in the second quarter of 2026, slightly below the preliminary estimate of 1.3% and down from a 1.3% increase in the first quarter. Hourly compensation rose 2.6%, accelerating from a 2.1% increase in the previous quarter, while labor productivity grew 1.4%, up from 0.8%. In the total manufacturing sector, unit labor costs fell 0.3%, as hourly compensation increased 2.1% while labor productivity rose 2.4%. This marked the first quarterly decline in manufacturing unit labor costs since the second quarter of 2021. On a year-over-year basis, unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 1.4%, while manufacturing unit labor costs rose 3.4%. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Unit Labour Costs QoQ in the United States decreased to 1.20 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from 1.30 percent in the first quarter of 2026. Unit Labour Costs QoQ in the United States averaged 2.82 percent from 1947 until 2026, 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 October of 2026.