Real output, hours worked and output per hour
Real output (GDP)Hours workedOutput per hour
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Australia · Productivity
Output. Hours.
And the difference between them.
An economy can produce more because we work more hours, because we produce more in each hour, or both.
June quarter 2026 edition · Seasonally adjusted · New releases are checked before updating
Compare the three journeys
Set each series to 100 in the same start quarter. This lets you compare their proportional changes without mixing dollar totals, hours and productivity indexes.
See the figures behind this chart
ABS A2304402X, A2304428W and A2304192L. TEP rebases each published series to the selected start quarter. Output per hour uses the published ABS series.
How the pieces fit.
Output per hourLabour productivity
=Real outputProduction adjusted for price changes
÷Hours workedTotal hours used in production
If output rises faster than hours, output per hour rises. If hours rise faster than output, output per hour falls. They can also all fall: productivity can rise when hours fall faster than output.
These are relationships between levels. Percentage growth rates are not exactly additive. Published series are rounded and may be revised, so small differences can occur.
Averages can shift with the mix.
Measured productivity can change when the balance of activity moves between industries, or when the workforce changes. Pandemic closures and reopening are a good reason to read the short-term figures alongside a longer history.
A shift in this average does not, by itself, show that every business became more efficient or that every worker produced more.
Productivity sources and methods · June quarter 2026 edition