Benchmark
Productivity in the U.S. Is Sinking
Slower productivity limits the economic expansion's potential
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Productivity in the U.S. fell again in the first quarter — 1.9 percent after a 2.1 percent drop at the end of last year — for the biggest back-to-back decline since 1993.
Such productivity readings are bad news for workers, corporate profit margins and growth alike. While the data have been on a downtrend for the past decade, they've recently taken a turn for the worse that may have caught some people off guard.