Productivity Up Sluggish 0.2%

U.S. labor productivity rose by a lethargic 0.2% in the third quarter of this year in pace with a sluggish import-battered economy, and workers paid the price with a 0.2% drop in real hourly compensation, the Labor Department said today.

Preliminary figures compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a 3.2% gain in output in the July-September period partially offset by a 3% rise in work hours. Productivity is defined as output per hour.