MADE IN USA NEWS

Business Week

Michael Mandel

This morning the BLS released its “International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends, 2008”. And guess what? According to the BLS, the U.S. manufacturing sector had the fastest productivity growth in the world in 2008—1.2%, tied with South Korea. Meanwhile, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Japan all had manufacturing productivity declines.

Good news for the U.S.? Nope. Remember that the U.S. manufacturing productivity stats are not adjusted for offshoring. That is, when a U.S. manufacturer starts buying or making parts overseas, rather than making them at home, domestic factory employment drops. However, the BLS stats can still report the same output. The result? A reported rise in productivity.

I ask you—with manufacturing productivity dropping around the world, is it more likely that the U.S. is one of the few countries where manufacturing productivity is rising? Or is it more likely that our view of the U.S., with the biggest goods imports in the world, is being warped by a statistical mirage?

2008 increase in manufacturing output per hour
U.S. 1.2%
Korea 1.2%
United Kingdom 0.3%
Germany -0.1%
Japan -0.2%
Taiwan -0.5%
France -0.8%
Canada -2.6%
Sweden -3.7%

Tags: global sourcing, Manufacturing, Outsourcing