Fourth-quarter earnings benefited from further productivity improvements, with operating expenses, excluding the consolidation costs, increasing by 6.4 percent, which is 4.2 percent lower than the net revenue growth. The labor component of our operating expenses increased by 1.8 percent, while general and administrative expenses increased by 13.8 percent. Net revenue growth for the quarter was balanced across the company's product lines, while on a regional basis, Asia and Europe recorded the strongest growth. Finally, I want to thank all our employees for their commitment to the continuous improvement at Fritz Companies during this challenging year. Fritz Companies is a specialist in global integrated logistics.
Emphasis is placed on simplifying processes and reducing overall transportation costs.
The Fritz network is composed of highly trained professionals working in more than 400 locations in 120 countries. In this press release, the company makes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our operations. Many possible events or factors could affect the future financial results and performance of the company. This could cause results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in the company's forward-looking statements.