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Productivity
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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Productivity > Methods > Handbook of Methods

Handbook of Methods

The BLS Handbook of Methods presents detailed explanations of how the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) obtains and prepares the economic data it publishes. BLS statistics are used for many purposes, and sometimes data well-suited to one purpose may have limitations for another. This publication aims to provide users of BLS data with the most current information necessary to evaluate the suitability of the statistics for their needs.

  • Productivity Measures: Business Sector and Major Subsectors. The Major Sector Productivity (MSP) program produces measures of productivity for six U.S. major industry sectors in the United States: business, nonfarm business, nonfinancial corporations, total manufacturing, durable goods manufacturing, and nondurable goods manufacturing. It produces quarterly and annual measures for labor productivity and annual measures for total factor productivity.

  • Industry Productivity Measures. The Industry Productivity Studies (IPS) program that produces annual measures of labor productivity and total factor productivity for detailed U.S. industries.