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The average work week ticked up in the final three months of last year, to 34.4 hours. On Friday, the government reports on January hiring and unemployment. Economists expect that companies added 155,000 net jobs, while the unemployment rate stayed at 8.5 percent unemployment for a second straight month. Companies found ways to produce more goods and services with fewer workers during the recession. Greater productivity helped them boost profits. But it also allowed them to hold back on hiring after companies slashed millions of jobs during the downturn. That can make higher productivity painful for workers in the short run. But productivity is important for raising living standards. Increases in productivity allow companies to pay workers more without being forced to boost the prices of their products, which can cause inflation
[Associated
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