The cost of labor in the US in the first quarter increased by 2.9%, according to the final data of the country's Ministry of Labor. The indicator grew at the maximum rate for the year and coincided with the forecasts of analysts. In the first quarter, labor productivity in the country increased by 0.4%, while analysts had expected an increase of 0.6%. The number of hours worked for the quarter increased by 2.3% compared with the growth of 3.3% a quarter earlier. The indicator of production of goods and services increased by 2.7%, in the previous quarter its growth was 3.7%. Labor productivity in the processing industry declined by 1.2% after rising 4.3% quarter-on-quarter.