Productivity in first quarter 2006
May 05, 2006
Productivity—as measured by output per hour of all persons—rose 3.2 percent in the nonfarm business sector in first-quarter 2006 as output grew 5.8 percent and hours of all persons increased by 2.5 percent (seasonally adjusted annual rates).
[Chart data—TXT]
In the fourth quarter of 2005, productivity had declined 0.3 percent, reflecting increases in output and hours of 1.5 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively.
Hourly compensation increased 5.7 percent in the first quarter of 2006, more rapidly than in the fourth quarter of 2005, when it grew 2.7 percent. When the rise in consumer prices was taken into account, real hourly compensation rose 3.6 percent in the first quarter, in contrast to a 0.6-percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2005.
These data are from the BLS Productivity and Costs program. Data are subject to revision. For more information, see "Productivity and Costs, First Quarter 2006, Preliminary" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-776.
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United States Department of Labor
