--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-21/is-ageing-a-drag-on-productivity-growth-a-review-article-on-ageing-health-and-productivity-the-economics-of-increased-life-expectancy/" title: "Is Ageing a Drag on Productivity Growth? A Review Article on Ageing, Health and Productivity: The Economics of Increased Life Expectancy" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T07:33:41+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T07:33:41+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2011" ipm_keyword: - "ageing" - "Canada" - "employment" - "health" - "longevity" - "OECD" - "older workers" - "productivity" - "review article" - "workforce" ipm_research_theme: - "Labour" - "Well-being and living standards" ipm_country_focus: - "Canada" - "Europe" - "OECD" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Is Ageing a Drag on Productivity Growth? A Review Article on Ageing, Health and Productivity: The Economics of Increased Life Expectancy Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-21/is-ageing-a-drag-on-productivity-growth-a-review-article-on-ageing-health-and-productivity-the-economics-of-increased-life-expectancy/ # Is Ageing a Drag on Productivity Growth? A Review Article on Ageing, Health and Productivity: The Economics of Increased Life Expectancy [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-21-5-Sharpe.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Sharpe, Andrew. 2011. “Is Ageing a Drag on Productivity Growth? A Review Article on Ageing, Health and Productivity: The Economics of Increased Life Expectancy.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 21 (Spring 2011): 82–94. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-21/is-ageing-a-drag-on-productivity-growth-a-review-article-on-ageing-health-and-productivity-the-economics-of-increased-life-expectancy/ ## Author: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## IPM Issue 21 Spring 2011 pp. 82–94 ## Related IPM articles [Is the SNA Still Useful? 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While the authors find some evidence of a negative effect of ageing on productivity, they conclude that at the aggregate level the effect is small. The review argues that this finding provides support for efforts to boost the employment rate of older persons, especially those aged 55-69, both to benefit these persons themselves and to increase tax revenues to cover the rising health and pension costs of the growing senior population. RÉSUMÉ Ce compte rendu critique porte sur l’ouvrage Ageing, Health and Productivity: The Economics The Economics of Increased Life Expectancy, qui examine en détail les relations entre vieillissement de la population et productivité. Les auteurs relèvent des éléments qui attestent de l’effet négatif du vieillissement sur la productivité, mais concluent en rappelant que ces effets restent globalement limités. Il ressort que leurs constatations appuient les efforts en faveur de l’emploi des personnes âgées surtout ceux entre 55 et 69. Ces derniers relèvent de l’intérêt des travailleurs même et gonflent les recettes fiscales qui peuvent alors être utilisées pour couvrir les coûts de la santé et des pensions pour une population grandissante de personnes âgées. TWO STYLIZED FACTS DOMINATE the eco- Cet article de recension examine l’ouvrage Ageing, Health and Productivity: The Economics of Increased Life Expectancy, qui fournit un examen détaillé de la relation entre vieillissement et productivité. Si les auteurs trouvent quelques données probantes d’un effet négatif du vieillissement sur la productivité, ils concluent qu’au niveau agrégé, l’effet est faible. La recension soutient que ce constat appuie les efforts visant à accroître le taux d’emploi des personnes âgées, en particulier celles âgées de 55 à 69 ans, à la fois pour le bénéfice de ces personnes et pour accroître les recettes fiscales afin de couvrir la hausse des coûts de santé et de retraite de la population vieillissante croissante. 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