{"id":63172,"date":"2026-05-07T10:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/worker-productivity-continues-decline-in-first-quarter-nationwide\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T10:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:37:14","slug":"worker-productivity-continues-decline-in-first-quarter-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/worker-productivity-continues-decline-in-first-quarter-nationwide\/","title":{"rendered":"Worker Productivity Continues Decline in First Quarter Nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 American worker productivity experienced another slowdown during the opening months of 2024, though economists anticipate a turnaround as companies pour resources into artificial intelligence technology.<\/p>

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday that nonfarm productivity \u2014 which tracks output per worker each hour \u2014 rose at an annualized 0.8% during the first quarter. This figure fell short of the 1.0% growth rate that economists surveyed by Reuters had predicted.<\/p>

The federal agency also adjusted its fourth-quarter figures downward, showing productivity had grown at 1.6% rather than the initially reported 1.8%. This represents a significant decline from the robust 5.2% jump recorded in the third quarter of last year.<\/p>

When compared to the same period in 2023, productivity still managed a healthy 2.9% increase. Economic analysts believe widespread adoption of artificial intelligence will eventually drive productivity higher while helping control labor expenses.<\/p>

Meanwhile, unit labor costs \u2014 representing what employers pay for each unit of production \u2014 climbed 2.3% during the quarter. This increase came in below economists’ expectations of 2.6% growth. These costs rose just 1.2% compared to the previous year.<\/p>

Worker compensation per hour advanced 3.1% during the first quarter and showed a 4.2% gain when measured against the same timeframe last year. The Labor Department revised fourth-quarter unit labor cost growth upward to 4.6% from the previously calculated 4.4%.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American worker productivity growth decelerated further during the first three months of 2024, according to new federal data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported productivity rose at just 0.8% annually, down from previous quarters, though experts expect artificial intelligence investments to reverse this trend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":63171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[834],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778164634671.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-gqU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":41709,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/worker-productivity-growth-significantly-weaker-than-expected-in-fourth-quarter\/","url_meta":{"origin":63172,"position":0},"title":"Worker Productivity Growth Significantly Weaker Than Expected in Fourth Quarter","author":"Admin","date":"March 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Federal data reveals U.S. worker productivity expanded at a much slower pace than originally estimated during the final quarter of last year. 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