Labor

Manufacturing Unit Labor Costs, Quarterly Change

As of Q2 2026, manufacturing unit labor costs, quarterly change stands at -0.30% change (annualized) (BLS Productivity and Costs), rising over the recent window.

What this measures and why it matters

  • Manufacturing Unit Labor Costs, Quarterly Change reflects the cost and availability of the workforce that runs a plant. Loaded shop rates, quoting, and make-versus-buy decisions all trace back to labor economics, so this series is a direct input to how work gets priced and where it gets done.
  • The figure comes from BLS Productivity and Costs and is reported in % change (annualized). MFG Calcs archives every published value, so the chart and table below show the full recorded history rather than a single snapshot, and they extend automatically as new data lands.

Current reading and trend

  • Latest reading: -0.30% change (annualized) for Q2 2026.
  • Prior period: 3.30% (Q1 2026), a decline of 3.60.
  • Compared with a year earlier, manufacturing unit labor costs, quarterly change is down 127.3%.
  • Across the archived window the high was 8.90% in Q4 2025 and the low was -0.30% in Q2 2026.
  • The series has moved down for 2 consecutive periods.
  • 14 observations have been archived so far, and this page deepens automatically each time BLS Productivity and Costs publishes a new figure.

Recent observations

  • Q2 2026: -0.30% change (annualized)
  • Q1 2026: 3.30% change (annualized)
  • Q4 2025: 8.90% change (annualized)
  • Q3 2025: 1.80% change (annualized)
  • Q2 2025: 1.10% change (annualized)
  • Q1 2025: 0.00% change (annualized)
  • Q4 2024: 2.50% change (annualized)
  • Q3 2024: 5.50% change (annualized)
  • Q2 2024: 4.10% change (annualized)
  • Q1 2024: 4.40% change (annualized)
  • Q4 2023: 4.30% change (annualized)
  • Q3 2023: 7.00% change (annualized)
  • Q2 2023: 4.40% change (annualized)
  • Q1 2023: 2.30% change (annualized)

Last reviewed 2026-09-06.