Celebrating World Productivity Day
By Lainey Stalnaker, Data Analytics Writer
World Productivity Day, observed on June 20th each year, encourages businesses and workers to celebrate their achievements, consider how they accomplish their work, and examine how they may be able to make their processes more efficient. In recognition of this day, let’s take a look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual productivity data release and see how South Carolina compares to the rest of the country.
Productivity measures how efficiently states convert inputs into outputs. Labor productivity compares change in output to change in hours worked. If total output grows faster than the total number of hours worked – that is to say, output growth is not a result of increased working hours – then labor productivity increases. Productivity can increase in a variety of ways for a variety of reasons. New research or improved technology can make processes more efficient, and workers can gain experience and become more skilled, meaning the same work can be completed in a shorter period of time or with the use of fewer resources.
In South Carolina, labor productivity increased 3.0 percent between 2024 and 2025, ranking 11th in the country and outpacing the U.S. rate of 2.2 percent. Annual percent changes in labor productivity since 2015 are shown in the figure below.
- https://www.bls.gov/news.release/prin4.nr0.htm