A separate report from the U.S. Department of Labor released Thursday showed that labor productivity increased far more than economists had anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The department said productivity rose by 2.8% during the quarter, following a sharply higher, upwardly revised gain of 5.2% in the third quarter.
Economists had expected productivity to grow by about 1.9% in the fourth quarter, compared with the previously reported 4.9% surge in the prior period.
The report also indicated that unit labor costs moved higher in the fourth quarter, climbing 2.8% after declining by a revised 1.8% in the third quarter.
Analysts had projected unit labor costs would rise by 2.1%, compared with the earlier estimate of a 1.9% drop in the previous quarter.