Labour productivity statistics: 2024
An Official Statistics in Development publication for Scotland.
Annual estimates of labour productivity statistics for Scotland’s onshore economy for the years 1998-2024
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About labour productivity statistics
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.
Output is usually defined as gross value added (GVA). For some international comparisons using data from the OECD, gross domestic product (GDP) is used instead, which is equal to total GVA plus taxes less subsidies on products.
Labour input is measured in terms of the number of jobs in the economy (giving a measure of output per job), and also the total number of hours worked (giving a measure of output per hour worked). Output per hour worked is usually viewed as the most comprehensive indicator of labour productivity and is thus taken as the headline measure.
Labour productivity statistics presented in volume or real terms (where the effects of price changes have been removed) are used to analyse changes in the level of activity over time within a particular country or industry, or to compare growth rates between countries or industries on a consistent basis. Results are indexed to a reference year, set at 2019=100 in this release for consistency with the GDP statistics published by the Scottish Government.
Results presented in nominal terms or current prices (not adjusted for the effects of price changes) are used to make comparisons of the relative level (not growth rate) between countries or industries at a particular point in time.
Further information on the production and interpretation of these statistics is available here.