Labour productivity

According to the Conference Board, a business-research outfit, growth in global productivity, measured as GDP per person in work, rose by 3.3% in 2010 after falling by 1.2% the previous year. The spurt in productivity growth was typical of the period immediately after the end of a recession, as output recovered smartly but unemployment remained high. Productivity in rich countries grew by 3% in 2010, and the Conference Board expects it to come down to 1.6% in 2011, as output growth slows and employment recovers. China led the world's big economies in productivity growth. Its GDP per person employed grew by 8.7% in 2010. China's productivity growth has been among the highest in the world since the mid-1990s.