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unit labor costs posts

U.S. Worker Productivity Continues to Impress

Posted Jun 3rd 2010 4:00PM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Good news, Employees

Financial crisis or not, fragile economic recovery or not, there has been one constant in the past and current economic cycles: productivity.

Worker productivity rose an impressive 2.8% in the first quarter, the U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday. That's down slightly from the previously-released 3.6% rate for the first quarter, but still constitutes a 4.0% productivity gain on a year-over-year basis. Productivity rose at an annual rate of 7.8% and 6.3% in the third and fourth quarters of 2009, respectively. In 2009, productivity rose 3.7%.

Continue reading U.S. Worker Productivity Continues to Impress

U.S. Labor Costs Rose Just 1.5% in 2009: Smallest Gain Since 1982

Posted Jan 29th 2010 4:40PM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Good news, Employees, Recession

You've heard chatter (mostly hype) on some of the cable news networks that inflation is on rise.

Don't believe it: unit labor costs rose 0.5% in Q4, and just 1.5% for all of 2009 -- capping the smallest increase for wages and benefits on record, the U.S. Labor Department announced Friday. Unit labor costs rose a revised 0.4% in Q3.

In 2008, unit labor costs rose 2.6%. The department began record keeping for the wage/benefits metrics in 1982.

Continue reading U.S. Labor Costs Rose Just 1.5% in 2009: Smallest Gain Since 1982

Ray of Light: U.S. corporate, worker productivity continues to rise

Posted Feb 6th 2009 1:30PM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Forecasts, Good news, Employees, Economic Data

These days, most investors, executives, and economists know that there's no shortage of unpleasant news regarding the U.S. economy.

Moreover, some days it's hard to find those bright spots that we know exist amid the the snow storm of the recession. Here's one: U.S. worker productivity.

Underscoring that while there are no positives to job layoffs -- each job loss is a tragedy -- citizens and investors can at least point to the fact that the U.S. workforce is becoming more productive, and corporate efficiency is improving.

Continue reading Ray of Light: U.S. corporate, worker productivity continues to rise

So far, despite Fed, congressional actions, inflation remains tame

Posted Feb 5th 2009 12:45PM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Forecasts, Good news, Economic Data

Inflation -- the bane of earnings -- must always be watched, lest it rob the nation of return on investment.

Further, while the inflation hawks have been out in force, given the U.S.'s likely, record fiscal stimulus package and the Federal Reserve's doubling of its balance sheet, so far inflation remains tame.

Unit labor costs -- a key gauge of inflation, and one the Fed watches closely -- rose at a 1.8% annualized rate in Q4 2008, the U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday. Meanwhile, productivity in Q4 2008 rose at a 3.2% annualized rate.

Productivity measures output per hour worked. Economists say rising productivity usually leads to increases in income, as businesses can increase salaries/wages paid without increasing their per unit costs.