*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management *

Title: International Comparison of Hourly Compensation Costs in Manufacturing, 2011 * *Date: Dec. 19, 2012

*Source: *US Bureau of Labor Statistics

*Summary: * U.S. hourly compensation of $35.53 for manufacturing workers last year put it at No. 16 in a group of 34 countries. At the top of the list: Norway at $64.15 and Switzerland at $60.40. At the bottom: Philippines at $2.01 and Mexico at $6.48. Compensation costs for factory workers in China and India appear to be lower, but the report did not include them in the overall ranking due to “various data gaps and methodological issues.” Compensation increases for U.S. manufacturing workers have been among the slowest in the world, though that boosted U.S. competitiveness. Hourly compensation costs in manufacturing between 2010 and 2011 rose faster in every other economy apart from Greece.

Link: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ichcc.pdf