Data released from the Labor Department Wednesday showed that US worker productivity grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.5 percent in the first quarter. The modest gains follow a 1.7 percent decline in the October to December period and are below the long-run trend of 2.2 percent annual growth in productivity that dates back to 1947. With productivity growth slow and consumer spending on the rise, companies might have to add more workers to keep up with demand for their products. Productivity figures are closely monitored by the Federal Reserve as markers for inflation.
See "US productivity grew at modest annual rate of 0.5 percent in first quarter", The Washington Post, June 5, 2013