Productivity actually grew at a 5 percent rate in the final half of last year.

From 1974 to 1995, productivity grew at around 1.4 percent a year.

Between 1870 and 1910, productivity grew by about 2 percent a year.

From 1974 until the mid-1990's, productivity grew an average of 1.5 percent a year.

Since then, productivity has grown at a bit over 3 percent a year, with the last few years looking particularly strong.

Productivity grew by 3 percent in the last quarter of 2006.

From 1972 to 1995, productivity grew at a 1.4 percent annual rate.

If productivity is growing close to 2 percent, living standards double every 35 years.

If productivity had grown at the higher rate all along, national income would be 30 percent greater today.

From 1995 and 2001, productivity grew by roughly 2.3 percent a year.