Finance

UK productivity growth slowed in the first quarter, ONS data shows

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review

Posted on May 15, 2025

1 min read

· Last updated: January 23, 2026

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UK productivity growth slowed in the first quarter, ONS data shows
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LONDON (Reuters) -Productivity growth in Britain's economy weakened in the first quarter of this year compared to the final three months of 2024 and was down compared with a year previously, official

UK Productivity Growth Slows in Q1, ONS Data Reveals

LONDON (Reuters) -Productivity growth in Britain's economy weakened in the first quarter of this year compared to the final three months of 2024 and was down compared with a year previously, official data showed on Thursday.

The Office for National Statistics said output per hour worked increased by 0.2% in the January-to-March period, weaker than the 0.7% growth in the fourth quarter of last year.

Compared with a year earlier, output per hour was down 0.2%.

However, the ONS said that less weight should be placed on the latest annual change in the productivity figures due to low response rates in the first quarter of 2024 to the Labour Force Survey, which is subject to sample size problems that have decreased the reliability of labour market data.

(Reporting by Suban Abdulla; editing by David Milliken)

Key Takeaways

  • UK productivity growth slowed to 0.2% in Q1 2024.
  • Output per hour was down 0.2% compared to last year.
  • ONS data indicates a weaker performance than Q4 2023.
  • Low response rates affect Labour Force Survey reliability.
  • Economic implications of slowed productivity growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main topic?
The main topic is the slowdown in UK productivity growth in the first quarter of 2024, as reported by the ONS.
How did productivity growth compare to the previous quarter?
Productivity growth was 0.2% in Q1 2024, down from 0.7% in Q4 2023.
What challenges affect the reliability of the data?
Low response rates in the Labour Force Survey affect the reliability of the data.

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