Compared to the previous three months, labour productivity is estimated to have grown by 0.2% during the July to September period.

Labour productivity measures the amount of economic output that is produced, on average, by each unit of labour input, and is an important indicator of economic performance.

Over the last decade, from 2008-2018, Scotland’s labour productivity has increased by an average of 0.9% per year. This compares to average annual productivity growth of 0.4% per year for the UK as a whole, and an average of 0.9% per year for OECD members.

Most countries have seen a slowdown in productivity growth during the last decade, particularly since the global financial crisis.

Using recent data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Scotland’s nominal productivity level was 83.0% of the USA in 2018, and ranked in 16th place (out of 37 countries, including the UK as a whole) amongst the OECD member states.

Since 2008, Scotland’s productivity growth has been similar to the OECD average and the latest results show that Scotland has been ranked 16th (in the second quartile) in nine of the last ten years, maintaining its position. These comparisons are adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) so that differing price levels and exchange rates between countries do not have an effect on the results.

The next Labour Productivity Statistics will be published on 6 May.