US second-quarter productivity growth unrevised

September 3, 2026 8:50 AM EDT

Employees work on the production floor of the General Stamping & Metalworks building in South Bend, Indiana, U.S., March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska

WASHINGTON, Sept ‌3 (Reuters) - U.S. ​worker ​productivity growth picked up in the second quarter, the ‌government confirmed on Thursday, helping to ⁠keep labor costs in check.

Nonfarm productivity, which ‌measures hourly output per ‌worker, increased at an unrevised 1.4% annualized rate last quarter the ​Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Economists polled by Reuters ⁠had forecast productivity would be unrevised. Productivity grew ​at a 0.8% rate in the first quarter.

It grew at an ​unrevised 2.2% rate ‌from a year ago. Economists and policymakers expect the rapid ⁠adoption of artificial intelligence by businesses will boost productivity and restrain inflation ⁠through a reduction in labor costs.

Unit labor costs — ​the price of labor per single unit of output — increased at a downwardly revised ‌1.2% rate. They were previously estimated to have risen ‌at a 1.3% pace. Labor costs ⁠grew at an ‌unrevised 1.4% ​rate from a year ago.

(Reporting by Lucia MutikaniEditing by Ros ‌Russell)



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