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Productivity

Small businesses could see big gains by boosting productivity

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Apr 25, 2024
And they can achieve that through better collaboration with companies big and small in their industries.
"Small businesses are, really, the backbone of the economy in so many ways," says McKinsey's Anu Madgavkar.
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U.S. productivity is up for the third quarter in a row. What does that mean?

by Samantha Fields
Feb 1, 2024
Rising productivity makes possible rising living standards over time.
One way to think about productivity is the total amount of income the economy is generating per hour, says Heidi Shierholz at the Economic Policy Institute.
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A Warmer World

How businesses can better prepare for climate change

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Aug 24, 2023
Along with the obvious human case for looking out for employees, climate change poses a serious threat to productivity and retention.
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For the first time in a year, worker productivity is up

by Mitchell Hartman
Aug 10, 2023
That's a good thing for the economy and for business — and could be a good thing for workers themselves.
Increased productivity often comes from the introduction of new technology, like supermarket self checkouts.
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Workers are being more productive, a good sign for low-inflation growth

by Justin Ho
Aug 3, 2023
The Labor Department says worker output is up while average hours worked is down. That could help bring down inflation going forward.
Worker output climbed in the second quarter as economic growth picked up.
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images
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Could artificial intelligence be your next coworker?

by David Brancaccio and Jarrett Dang
May 5, 2023
Workplace AI is coming, and one study of a Fortune 500 company found it can be a productivity boon.
A new study of call center workers at a Fortune 500 company found that AI integration boosted productivity, especially among less skilled and less experienced workers.
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Productivity in the U.S. fell last month, but the nation's output increased. How does that work?

by Justin Ho
May 4, 2023
What matters here is how the Labor Department defines productivity.
More people are working, since a lot of sectors — like leisure and hospitality — are playing catchup on hiring.
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A more productive U.S. economy could unlock $10 trillion

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Feb 27, 2023
Higher productivity could drive up wages, temper inflation and aid the energy transition, the McKinsey Global Institute finds.
Jean-Sebastien Evrard/AFP via Getty Images
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In U.K. 4-day work week trial, companies see happier employees — and higher productivity

by Stephen Beard
Dec 19, 2022
70 U.K. companies have just completed a 6-month experiment with a shorter week with full pay – and early results are promising.
While some companies that partook in the U.K.'s 4-day work week experiment saw benefits, labor experts are skeptical that it could be replicated at all businesses. Above, London commuters in December 2021.
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Could this meeting be an email?

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Nov 16, 2022
One worker’s experience with a meeting-free week.
As an experiment in productivity, software company Zapier canceled all meetings for a week. Above, a cat attends a Zoom session.
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