--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-16/data-for-productivity-measurement-in-market-services-an-international-comparison/" title: "Data for Productivity Measurement in Market Services: An International Comparison" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T06:54:04+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T06:54:04+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2008" ipm_keyword: - "banking" - "EU KLEMS" - "Europe" - "international comparison" - "market services" - "output measurement" - "price measurement" - "productivity measurement" - "retail trade" ipm_research_theme: - "Measurement and methodology" ipm_country_focus: - "Europe" - "OECD" - "United States" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Data for Productivity Measurement in Market Services: An International Comparison Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-16/data-for-productivity-measurement-in-market-services-an-international-comparison/ # Data for Productivity Measurement in Market Services: An International Comparison [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-16-5-Inklaar-Timmer-van-Ark.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Inklaar, Robert, Marcel Timmer, and Bart van Ark. 2008. “Data for Productivity Measurement in Market Services: An International Comparison.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 16 (Spring 2008): 71–81. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-16/data-for-productivity-measurement-in-market-services-an-international-comparison/ ## Authors: - Robert Inklaar University of Groningen; The Conference Board - Marcel Timmer Groningen Growth and Development Centre, University of Groningen - Bart van Ark University of Manchester / The Productivity Institute ## IPM Issue 16 Spring 2008 pp. 71–81 ## Related IPM articles [The Challenges of Productivity Measurement — Review Article on The Measure of Economies: Measuring Productivity in an Age of Technological Change Chad Syverson Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 139–143](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/the-challenges-of-productivity-measurement-review-article-on-the-measure-of-economies-measuring-productivity-in-an-age-of-technological-change/) [Appendix: EUKLEMS & INTANProd Industry Coverage and Intangible Asset Treatment Filippo Bontadini, Carol Corrado, Jonathan Haskel, Massimiliano Iommi, Cecilia Jona-Lasinio, Tsutomu Miyagawa Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 1–4](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/appendix-euklems-intanprod-industry-coverage-and-intangible-asset-treatment/) [Intangible Capital, TFP Growth and Green Shoots in New Productivity Data Filippo Bontadini, Carol Corrado, Jonathan Haskel, Massimiliano Iommi, Cecilia Jona-Lasinio, Tsutomu Miyagawa Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 3–37](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/intangible-capital-tfp-growth-and-green-shoots-in-new-productivity-data/) [IPM Issue 46 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/) [Capital Measurement and Productivity Growth Across International Databases Reitze Gouma, Robert Inklaar Spring 2023 | IPM Issue 44 | pp. 67–88](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-44/capital-measurement-and-productivity-growth-across-international-databases/) [Fuller Measures of Output, Input and Productivity in the Non-Profit Sector: A Proof of Concept for the United Kingdom Josh Martin, Jon Franklin Spring 2023 | IPM Issue 44 | pp. 34–66](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-44/fuller-measures-of-output-input-and-productivity-in-the-non-profit-sector-a-proof-of-concept-for-the-united-kingdom/) [Appendix: Spatial Production Model Derivation and Industry Classification Weilin Liu, Qian Cheng, Robin Sickles Fall 2022 | IPM Issue 43 | pp. 16–16](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-43/appendix-spatial-production-model-derivation-and-industry-classification/) [Productivity Growth and Spillovers across European and American Industries: A Global Value Perspective Based on EU KLEMS Weilin Liu, Qian Cheng, Robin Sickles Fall 2022 | IPM Issue 43 | pp. 86–109](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-43/productivity-growth-and-spillovers-across-european-and-american-industries-a-global-value-perspective-based-on-eu-klems/) [From Economic Productivity to Productive Well-Being: The Role of Life Satisfaction and Adjusted Net Savings Charles-Henri DiMaria, Chiara Peroni, Francesco Sarracino Fall 2022 | IPM Issue 43 | pp. 62–80](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-43/from-economic-productivity-to-productive-well-being-the-role-of-life-satisfaction-and-adjusted-net-savings/) [Appendix: Job Quality Index Construction and Additional Regression Results Chiara Peroni, Maxime Pettinger, Francesco Sarracino Fall 2022 | IPM Issue 43 | pp. 31–41](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-43/appendix-job-quality-index-construction-and-additional-regression-results/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn With market services accounting for an increasing share of GDP as well as for differences in productivity growth performance across countries, the need for accurate measures of services output is becoming ever more important. In this article we first provide an international comparative perspective on the current state of measurement practices in market services across Europe. Second, we discuss the concrete measurement issues and possibilities for improvement in retail trade and banking. Our comparison of European measurement practices shows that improvements are feasible in many countries and industries without the need for fundamental conceptual research: it mostly requires national statistical agencies to devote additional efforts and resources to this objective. This is exemplified in retail trade, where existing data can be used to yield conceptually superior output measures. But there are other industries for which more research is required. Recent progress on the conceptual challenges to measure bank output suggests new data collection efforts would be needed in most countries to improve measurement of output growth in that industry. A CRUCIAL QUESTION IN PRODUCTIVITY anal- Les services marchands représentant une part croissante du PIB ainsi que des différences dans la performance de croissance de la productivité entre les pays, la nécessité de mesures précises de la production des services devient de plus en plus importante. Dans cet article, nous fournissons d’abord une perspective comparative internationale sur l’état actuel des pratiques de mesure dans les services marchands en Europe. Nous examinons ensuite les problèmes concrets de mesure et les possibilités d’amélioration dans le commerce de détail et les services bancaires. Notre comparaison des pratiques de mesure européennes montre que des améliorations sont réalisables dans de nombreux pays et industries sans nécessiter de recherche conceptuelle fondamentale : cela nécessite principalement que les offices statistiques nationaux consacrent des efforts et des ressources supplémentaires à cet objectif. 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