UK productivity rises, giving some relief to Bank of England

British workers' productivity showed a long-awaited improvement in the third quarter of this year, official data showed on Wednesday, giving some encouragement to the Bank of England as it holds interest rates at a record low.

Output per hour worked rose 0.6 per cent in the third quarter compared with the previous three months, the first increase in quarterly terms since the April-June period of last year and the biggest rise in more than three years.