US Q3 Productivity Rises 3.6% as AI Spending Lifts Efficiency

Cointime reports: US nonfarm business labor productivity rose at a 3.6% annualized rate in the third quarter, up from a revised 2.1% in the prior quarter and the fastest pace in a year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday. Unit labor costs fell 0.7%, the first decline since the second quarter of 2025, as companies’ heavy spending on artificial intelligence, software and equipment begins to translate into higher output per worker.