Review Article on Productivity Growth in Canada and Industry-level Productivity and International Competitiveness Between Canada and the United States

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Abstract

This review article summarizes two major 2001 productivity publications: Statistics Canada’s Productivity Growth in Canada and Industry Canada’s Industry-level Productivity and International Competitiveness Between Canada and the United States. Key findings include: significant imprecision in productivity estimates warrants caution; peak-to-peak growth rates are preferable for trend analysis; Canada’s overall productivity growth has been comparable to the U.S. in the business sector but has lagged in manufacturing; and the Canada–U.S. productivity gap is largely driven by differences in IT investment intensity and industry structure.

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