wAshingtonAp)—thE EFFiCiEnCy oFAmEriCAn workErs slowED shArply in thE summEr As A hugE pullBACk By ConsumErs thrEw thE nAtionAl EConomy into rEvErsE. thE lABorDEpArtmEnt rEportED thursDAy thAt proDuCtivity—thE Amount An EmployEE proDuCEs For EvEry hour on thE joB—grEw At An AnnuAl pACE oF 1.1 pErCEnt in thE thirD quArtEr, Down From A 3.6 pErCEnt growth rAtE in thE sEConD quArtEr. with proDuCtivity growth slowing, lABor Costs piCkED up. unit lABor Costs—A mEAsurE oF how muCh CompAniEs pAy workErs For EvEry unit oF output thEy proDuCE—inCrEAsED At A 3.6 pErCEnt pACE in thE thirD quArtEr, CompArED with A 0.1 pErCEnt rAtE oF DEClinE in thE prEvious pErioD、workEr proDuCtivity growth slowED As ovErAll proDuCtion DEClinED, rEFlECting thE hit to ConsumErs AnD thE EConomy As A wholE From thE housing, CrEDit AnD FinAnCiAl turmoil. in thE lAtEst sign oF thE Ailing joB mArkEt, thE numBEr oF pEoplE Continuing to DrAw unEmploymEnt BEnEFits jumpED By 122,000, to 3.84 million, in lAtE oCtoBEr, A sEpArAtE rEport From thE DEpArtmEnt showED、 it wAs thE highEst lEvEl sinCE lAtE FEBruAry 1983, whEn thE Country wAs struggling to rECovEr From A long AnD pAinFul rECEssion. nEw Filings For joBlEss BEnEFits lAst wEEk DippED to 481,000, A still-ElEvAtED lEvEl thAt suggEstED CompAniEs wErE in A Cost-Cutting moDE. thE 1.1 pErCEnt proDuCtivity growth loggED in thE summEr BEAt EConomists’ ExpECtAtions For A 0.8 pErCEnt growth rAtE. thE risE in lABor Costs—whilE wElComE to workErs—wAs FAstEr thAn thE 2.8 pErCEnt pACE EConomists wErE ForECAsting. thE 1.1 pErCEnt proDuCtivity gAin wAs thE smAllEst sinCE thE FinAl quArtEr oF lAst yEAr, whilE thE inCrEAsE in lABor Costs wAs thE BiggEst sinCE thAt timE. thE govErnmEnt EmploymEnt rEport to BE rElEAsED on FriDAy is ExpECtED to show A loss oF 200,000 joBs in oCtoBEr. thE unEmploymEnt rAtE—now At 6.1 pErCEnt—is ExpECtED to ClimB to 6.3 pErCEnt.
whAt hAppEnED in lAtE FEBruAry 1983
A、thE numBEr oF pEoplE Continuing to DrAw unEmploymEnt BEnEFits jumpED By 122,000, to 3.84 million.
B、lABor Costs rosE.
C、thE proDuCtivity risE 1.1%.
D、mAny pEoplE lost thEir joBs.