Has the Productivity Trend Steepened in the 1990s?

In the 1990s, conventional measures of productivity growth, or the growth in output per worker, have indicated a dramatic rise. If these measures are correct, the economic benefits are clear. In the short run, sustained, faster productivity growth would enable the economy to expand more rapidly without intensifying inflationary pressures. In the long run, sustained, faster productivity growth would boost real incomes and improve the standard of living. Since 1960, for example, productivity advances have helped the typical worker produce 70 percent more output per hour, more than doubling personal incomes.