Productivity growth is a key factor in the  -3health of the overall economy and in the daily lives of all Americans. Because ultimately, it drives rising standards of living for all of us. Growth in labor productivity, or output per hour worked, has been lackluster in the U.S. economy and around the world in recent years.
Our most recent data, which are still preliminary and will be released later this year, are for year-end 2003; they are the result of interviews with more than 4,200 small businesses that represent an estimated 6.3 million small businesses in the United States. The surveys show that small businesses are heavy users of financial services.