US Labor Costs Rise More Than Expected

2025-06-05 12:37 By Dongting Liu 1 min. read

Unit labor costs in the US nonfarm business sector increased 6.6 percent in the first quarter of 2025, higher than preliminary estimates of 5.7 percent.

It reflects a 5.0 percent increase in hourly compensation and a 1.5 percent decrease in productivity.

Unit labor costs increased 1.9 percent over the last four quarters.

Meanwhile, unit labor costs in the total manufacturing sector increased 2.0 percent, reflecting a 6.4 percent increase in hourly compensation and a 4.4 percent increase in productivity.

Manufacturing unit labor costs increased 0.3 percent from the same quarter a year ago.



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