UK labour productivity (output per hour)

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), series LZVB. Quarterly, about seven weeks after the quarter ends, 7am; next release 17 November 2026

UK labour productivity (output per hour): every value, by year, with a CSV download →

What it measures

Labour productivity measures how much the economy produces for each hour worked. The ONS divides real output (gross value added) by total hours worked across the whole economy and presents the result as an index, where the average for 2023 equals 100. A value of 101 means output per hour is 1% higher than in 2023. It is the main measure behind claims about the UK's productivity performance, and differs from output per worker, which ignores changes in hours. See index number in the glossary.

How to read it

Read the index as change over time, not as a level of output. Productivity can rise because the economy produces more with the same hours, or because hours fall faster than output, as some low-output jobs disappear. The hours figures in this series come from the Labour Force Survey, which the ONS has warned is volatile; in 2026 the ONS recommended its flash estimate based on HMRC payroll data (Real Time Information) as the best guide to recent change. For the year to April to June 2026 the payroll-based flash showed output per hour up 0.7%, while the survey-based measure showed a 0.2% fall. International level comparisons need purchasing power parity data from the ONS or OECD.

Background

The ONS series starts in 1971, when the index stood at 41.2, meaning output per hour has roughly multiplied by 2.4 since then. Calculated from the series, output per hour grew by about 2.2% a year between the end of 1997 and the end of 2007, but by only about 0.3% a year between the end of 2007 and the end of 2019. That slowdown is often called the productivity puzzle. The series high, 102.4, was in July to September 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, when total hours worked fell sharply.

Other parts of the UK

ONS regional and subregional productivity in the UK (latest published article, June 2023)

Why is UK productivity growth so low?

The ONS measures the slowdown but does not attribute it to a single cause. Its series shows output per hour growing about 2.2% a year in the decade to 2007 and about 0.3% a year from 2007 to 2019. The OBR and the Bank of England set out their own productivity assumptions, and the reasoning behind them, in their published forecasts.

How is UK productivity measured?

The headline measure divides real gross value added by the total number of hours worked in the economy. The ONS also publishes output per worker and output per job, and productivity by industry. Public service productivity is measured separately because much of that output is not sold at market prices.

How does UK productivity compare with other countries?

The ONS publishes international comparisons of productivity using purchasing power parities, and the OECD publishes GDP per hour worked for its members. Level comparisons are sensitive to the exchange-rate method and to how hours are measured, so quote the source and year.

Why does this page show an index rather than a growth rate?

The ONS publishes output per hour as an index so that changes can be compared over long periods. To get growth, compare two values: for example, a move from 99.1 to 100.1 is a rise of about 1%. The ONS bulletin also states growth on the year and on the quarter.

Related questions

• How is UK productivity measured?
• How big is the UK economy (GDP)?
• What is UK GDP per capita?
• How does UK GDP compare with other countries?

More on this source: Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)