Productivity Is Up Sharply In Good Sign For Long Term.

Reports that productivity, the amount of goods and services Americans produced in each hour they worked, grew rapidly in the third quarter 2002, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Significance of the gain; Why economists say there may not be a quick upturn in the weak economy; Comparison with the second quarter; The concept of doing more with less in industry; How trends in inflation and executive pay may have shifted the dynamics of hiring and firing; Long-term outlook.