Labor productivity refers to the output per unit of labor input.

Unit labor costs, on the other hand, refer to labor cost per unit of output.

Unemployment occurs when workers who want to work are unable to find jobs.

According to the Department of Labor, U.S. productivity growth was fairly strong in the 1950s but then declined in the 1970s and 1980s before rising again in the second half of the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s.

The rate of productivity measured by the change in output per hour worked averaged 3.2% per year from 1950 to 1970 which dropped to 1.9% per year from 1970 to 1990 and then climbed back to over 2.3% from 1991 to the present with another modest slowdown after 2001.

A fall in total output leads to employment loss because lower output requires a smaller number of people. Hence, people were affected due to a loss in total output.