LONDON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- British labor productivity, measured by output per hour, in the fourth quarter of 2018 fell by 0.1 percent year-on-year, the second consecutive quarter decrease, according to figures released Friday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In 2018 as a whole, labor productivity rose by 0.5 percent year-on-year, with services and manufacturing seeing growth of 0.8 percent and 0.3 percent respectively.
The ONS said that a 0.1 percent decline in Q4 suggested a continuation of the UK's "productivity puzzle", with the level far below the annual average of 2 percent before the financial crisis.
Data showed unit labor costs in the fourth Quarter of 2018 grew by 3.1 percent compared with the period of the previous year.
Richard Heys, deputy chief economist for ONS, said: "our latest figures show a continuation of a decade of weak growth, often referred to as the 'productivity puzzle', with labor productivity growth lower over the last decade than at any time in the 20th century. It has taken the UK a decade to deliver 2 percent growth, which historically was achieved in a single year."
"This affects both the public and private sectors, although one bright spot is healthcare, with more planned procedures taking place than usual through the winter, improving productivity across public services compared with the previous quarter," Heys said.
