UK output per hour index: production industries
UK output per hour index: production industries stood at 99.8 in Q1 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Jobs by industry and sector table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 1994 to Q1 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Jobs by industry and sector table
| Indicator | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | Q4-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output per hour, production industries (2023=100) | 99.8 | 98.7 | 97.7 | 97.7 | 99.9 | 98.6 | 97.5 | 100 | 99.4 | 100 | |
| Unit labour costs (2023=100) | 114.5 | 112.7 | 111.7 | 109.5 | 108.9 | 107.9 | 105.6 | 103.6 | 103.1 | 101.2 | |
| Unit wage costs (2023=100) | 112.2 | 111.1 | 110.2 | 108.7 | 108.6 | 107.7 | 105.7 | 103.7 | 102.7 | 101.1 |
Understanding UK output per hour index: production industries
Real economic output generated per hour worked across industrial enterprises within the United Kingdom engaged in manufacturing, mining, electricity, and water supply is measured by this index. The metric divides total gross value added for these sectors by the aggregate number of hours actually worked by employees and self-employed persons alike. Unlike whole-economy productivity measures or service-sector equivalents, this series isolates cyclical fluctuations driven by material throughput, capital intensity, and technological adoption in goods-producing trades. Excluded are hours and output from retail, financial services, public administration, and construction.
Interpreting this series requires accounting for weather-driven volatility in energy generation, supply chain disruptions affecting raw material inputs, and regular quarterly revisions to both output estimates and workforce hour surveys. Analysts should compare twelve-month changes rather than consecutive quarters to filter out seasonal shut-downs, maintenance windows, and holiday timing shifts. A common analytical pitfall involves treating productivity gains as purely indicative of workforce effort, when shifts often reflect capital investments, plant closures, or outsourcing of non-core tasks.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does this index track production industries separately from services?
- Goods-producing sectors experience distinct capital investment cycles and supply chain sensitivities that differ fundamentally from service-oriented activities.
- How do self-employed hours affect this calculation?
- Estimated self-employed labour inputs are added to employee hours to capture total labour volume expended in generating industrial output.
- Are seasonal plant closures adjusted out of the series?
- Seasonal adjustments are applied to smooth predictable holiday periods and maintenance windows across the industrial calendar.