Productivity in U.S. Decreases for a Second Straight Quarter

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U.S. worker productivity decreased for a second straight quarter and employer costs for labor climbed by the most in more than a year.

The measure of employee output per hour fell at a 1 percent annualized rate from January through March after a 1.7 percent decline in the fourth quarter. The median estimate of in a Bloomberg survey was for a 1.3 percent retreat. Labor costs jumped 4.1 percent, more than forecast.