Q1 productivity logs best performance in almost two decades
WASHINGTON -- Worker productivity, a key ingredient to the economy's long-term vitality, shot up at an annual rate of 8.6% in the first quarter, the best performance in nearly 19 years.
The jump in productivity ¿ which is expressed as the amount of output per hour of work -- followed a strong 5.5% increase in the final three months of 2001, the U.S. Labor Department reported.