US labor productivity rises as jobless claims fall
Updated
Updated · Quiver Quantitative · May 7
US labor productivity rises as jobless claims fall
16 articles · Updated · Quiver Quantitative · May 7
Preliminary BLS data showed nonfarm productivity up at a 0.8% annualised rate in Q1 2026, while initial claims for the week ended May 2 came in at 200,000.
Manufacturing productivity rose 3.6%, including 5.3% in durable goods, as nonfarm output increased 1.5%, hours worked 0.7% and unit labour costs 2.3%; continuing claims fell to 1.766 million.
Real hourly compensation fell 0.5%, the labour share of output dropped to a record-low 54.1%, and fourth-quarter 2025 nonfarm productivity growth was revised down to 1.6% from 1.8%.
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