Economic Impact Group, LLC Economic Data Brief
 
Labor market

Productivity and Costs — Q2 2026

Released August 7, 2026 · Bureau of Labor Statistics · full release · charts & history on EconomicsGuru
Nonfarm business labour productivity rose 0.4% in Q2 2026 to 120.0, +2.2% from a year ago. Prior quarter: 119.6. Prior periods were revised in 9 series — figures below reflect that.
Productivity
120.0
▲ +0.4% m/m
· +2.2% y/y
Unit labour costs
124.0
▲ +0.3% m/m
· +1.4% y/y
Hourly comp
148.8
▲ +0.7% m/m
· +3.7% y/y

Revision check

REVISIONS DETECTED (9) — since first published. Every change below is calculated on the revised figures.
Hourly compensation · Q3 2025143.5→145.7▲ +2.2
Unit labour costs · Q1 2026124.7→123.6▼ −1.0
Hourly compensation · Q1 2026149.1→147.8▼ −1.2
Nonfarm business labour productivity · Q3 2025118.0→118.9▲ +0.9
Hours worked · Q3 2025106.5→105.7▼ −0.8
Unit labour costs · Q3 2025121.6→122.6▲ +0.9
Unit labour costs · Q4 2025122.6→123.2▲ +0.7
Hourly compensation · Q4 2025146.6→147.1▲ +0.4
Nonfarm business labour productivity · Q4 2025119.6→119.3▼ −0.3

Key figures

Headline →Q2 2026Q1 2026M/M chgM/M %Y/Y chgY/Y %12-period trend
Nonfarm business labour productivityREVISED
output per hour, 2017=100, SA
120.0119.6▲ +0.4▲ +0.4%▲ +2.6▲ +2.2%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unit labour costsREVISED
the inflation-relevant one — what a unit of output costs in wages
124.0123.6▲ +0.4▲ +0.3%▲ +1.8▲ +1.4%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hourly compensationREVISED148.8147.8▲ +1.0▲ +0.7%▲ +5.3▲ +3.7%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hours workedREVISED105.9105.8▲ +0.1▲ +0.1%▲ +0.2▲ +0.2%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Trend bars show year-over-year % change over the last 13 periods; the latest period is highlighted.

What stood out

  • Nonfarm business labour productivity: up 2.2% from a year ago — the slowest pace since Q2 2025.

Sources

Economic Impact Group, LLC
Economic research for developing communities
Prepared 2026-08-07 17:44 UTC. Green marks an increase, red a decrease — direction only, not good or bad.