Washington, DC, March 3--Productivity in the fourth quarter rose at an annual rate of 2.1 percent, according to the federal Labor Department.
Last month the Labor Department reported an increase of 0.8 percent in the quarter.
Economists were looking for a an upward revision to 1.5 percent
For all of 2004, productivity was up 4 percent following gains of 4.4 percent in 2003 and 4.3 percent in 2001. The average gain in productivity over the past three years has been 4.3 percent, the best on record.
