The efficiency of America's workers grew at a slightly slower pace
in the spring as companies sought to produce more with leaner work
forces. Workers' compensation growth slowed, too.
The Labor
Department reported Friday that productivity -- the amount an employee
produces for every hour on the job -- grew at an annual rate of 2.2
percent during the April-to-June quarter. That was down from a 2.6
percent growth rate logged in the first three months of this year.
Economists were forecasting productivity to pick up slightly to a 2.7 percent pace.