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Table 1 Business sector: Labour productivity and related variables for Canada and the United States

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Business sector: Labour productivity and related variables for Canada and the United States
  First quarter 2008 Second quarter 2008 Third quarter 2008 Fourth quarter 2008 First quarter 2009 Second quarter 2009 Third quarter 2009 Fourth quarter 2009 First quarter 2010
  % change from previous quarter, seasonally adjusted
Canada                  
Labour productivity -0.8 -0.2 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 -0.2 1.2 0.7
Real gross domestic product -0.5 -0.3 -0.1 -1.3 -2.5 -1.1 0.1 1.4 1.8
Hours worked 0.3 -0.1 -0.1 -1.5 -2.5 -1.2 0.3 0.1 1.1
Hourly compensation 1.2 0.9 0.3 1.4 1.0 0.2 -0.2 1.2 0.2
Unit labour cost 2.0 1.0 0.3 1.1 1.0 0.1 0.0 -0.1 -0.5
Exchange rate1 -2.3 -0.6 -3.0 -14.1 -2.7 6.7 6.3 4.0 1.5
Unit labour cost in US dollars -0.3 0.5 -2.8 -13.1 -1.7 6.8 6.3 3.8 1.0
United States2                  
Labour productivity -0.1 0.7 0.3 0.5 0.2 1.9 1.9 1.6 0.6
Real gross domestic product -0.3 0.3 -0.9 -1.9 -2.3 -0.3 0.6 1.7 0.9
Hours worked -0.3 -0.5 -1.3 -2.4 -2.5 -2.1 -1.4 0.1 0.4
Hourly compensation 0.2 0.3 1.5 1.0 -1.0 1.8 0.0 -0.5 0.3
Unit labour cost 0.3 -0.4 1.1 0.5 -1.3 0.0 -1.9 -2.1 -0.3
  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Second quarter 2009 Third quarter 2009 Fourth quarter 2009 First quarter 2010
  % change from the previous year % change from same quarter of previous year, seasonally adjusted
Canada                  
Labour productivity 2.4 1.1 0.0 -0.9 0.4 0.3 0.1 1.1 1.8
Real gross domestic product 3.2 2.7 1.9 -0.3 -4.0 -4.9 -4.7 -2.2 2.1
Hours worked 0.7 1.6 1.9 0.6 -4.4 -5.2 -4.8 -3.3 0.3
Hourly compensation 4.9 4.9 3.6 3.0 2.7 2.9 2.3 2.1 1.3
Unit labour cost 2.4 3.8 3.6 4.0 2.3 2.6 2.2 1.0 -0.4
Exchange rate1 7.3 6.8 6.0 0.9 -6.7 -13.4 -5.1 14.8 19.7
Unit labour cost in US dollars 9.9 10.8 9.8 4.7 -4.5 -11.3 -2.9 16.0 19.1
United States2                  
Labour productivity 1.7 1.0 1.8 2.1 3.8 3.0 4.6 5.7 6.1
Real gross domestic product 3.4 3.1 2.2 0.0 -3.5 -5.2 -3.8 -0.3 2.9
Hours worked 1.6 2.1 0.4 -2.1 -7.0 -7.9 -8.0 -5.7 -3.0
Hourly compensation 4.0 3.9 4.2 3.0 1.8 3.3 1.8 0.3 1.7
Unit labour cost 2.2 2.8 2.4 0.8 -1.9 0.3 -2.7 -5.2 -4.2
The exchange rate corresponds to the Canadian dollar value expressed in US dollars.
US data are from Bureau of Labor Statistics, Productivity and costs: First quarter 2010 published in NEWS, June 3.