(Adds details of release, background)
OTTAWA, March 4 (Reuters) - The labor productivity of
Canadian businesses grew by just 0.1 percent in the fourth
quarter of 2015, down from 0.4 percent in the third quarter,
Statistics Canada said on Friday.
Market analysts polled by Reuters had forecast no change in
the fourth quarter. For 2015 as a whole, labor productivity for
Canadian businesses slipped by 0.2 percent following
year-on-year gains of 2.5 percent in 2014 and 1.3 percent in
2013.
Real gross domestic product of businesses grew by 0.1
percent in the fourth quarter after rising by 0.8 percent in the
third quarter.
The number of hours worked remained unchanged after rising
for five quarters in a row. Overall labor costs per unit of
production grew by 0.8 percent, due mainly to higher wages.
The main reasons for the year-on-year fall were declines in
construction, manufacturing and real estate services.
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Graphic - Canada economic dashboard http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/15/sc-canada/index.html
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