Productivity Growth in the OECD Area: Some Recent Findings

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Abstract

This article summarizes OECD research on recent productivity trends across member countries. Key findings include: the United States continues to have the highest GDP per capita in the OECD; the U.S. productivity lead widened in the 1990s after falling in prior decades; divergences in performance are not attributable to different measurement techniques; and differences in GDP per capita trends reflect differences in labour utilization, with the U.S. enjoying strong growth in both productivity and the employment rate while many European countries experienced limited employment growth.

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