BLS Says Growth of Factory Labor Costs Faster in 32 Countries Than in America

The rise in hourly compensation costs for all workers in the manufacturing sector in the United States was outpaced in all but one of 33 foreign countries tracked last year, according to figures released Dec. 19 by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Measured in U.S. dollars, Argentina saw the largest over-the-year gain in manufacturing sector compensation costs (24.5 percent); Singapore (18.3 percent), Australia (16.7 percent), and Brazil (15.6 percent) also were among countries experiencing significant increases in 2011.

Meanwhile, hourly compensation costs for all factory workers ticked up 2.1 percent in the United States last year, to ...