--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-6/has-trend-productivity-growth-increased-in-canada/" title: "Has Trend Productivity Growth Increased in Canada?" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T05:43:00+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T06:41:26+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2003" ipm_keyword: - "business sector" - "Canada" - "capital deepening" - "growth accounting" - "ICT" - "labour productivity" - "TFP" - "trend productivity" ipm_research_theme: - "Productivity trends and comparisons" ipm_country_focus: - "Canada" - "United States" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Has Trend Productivity Growth Increased in Canada? Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-6/has-trend-productivity-growth-increased-in-canada/ # Has Trend Productivity Growth Increased in Canada? [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-6-4-Robidoux-Wong.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Robidoux, Benoît, and Bing-Sun Wong. 2003. “Has Trend Productivity Growth Increased in Canada?” International Productivity Monitor, No. 6 (Spring 2003): 47–55. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-6/has-trend-productivity-growth-increased-in-canada/ ## Authors: - Benoît Robidoux Department of Finance Canada - Bing-Sun Wong Department of Finance Canada ## IPM Issue 6 Spring 2003 pp. 47–55 ## Related IPM articles [Efficiency Adjustment of Hours Worked: Two Possible Modifications of a Jorgensen Production Model Barbara Fraumeni Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 103–115](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/efficiency-adjustment-of-hours-worked-two-possible-modifications-of-a-jorgensen-production-model/) [The Relationship between Efficiencies Defenses for Mergers and TFP Growth Robin Shaban Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 82–102](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-relationship-between-efficiencies-defenses-for-mergers-and-tfp-growth/) [Labour Productivity as a Measure of Technological Change Ulrich Kohli Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 64–81](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/labour-productivity-as-a-measure-of-technological-change/) [Appendix: Variable Definitions and Country/Sector Coverage for Regulatory Reform Analysis Gilbert Cette, Jimmy Lopez, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Océane Vernerey Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 1–18](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/appendix-variable-definitions-and-country-sector-coverage-for-regulatory-reform-analysis/) [The Potential Impact of Pro-competitive Regulatory Reforms on Productivity and Growth in Canada Gilbert Cette, Jimmy Lopez, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Océane Vernerey Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 3–40](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-potential-impact-of-pro-competitive-regulatory-reforms-on-productivity-and-growth-in-canada/) [IPM Issue 49 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark, Paul Schreyer Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/) [The UK Productivity Slowdown: A Review of Timing, Magnitude, and Drivers Josh Martin Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–34](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/the-uk-productivity-slowdown-a-review-of-timing-magnitude-and-drivers/) [Appendix: UK Productivity Growth Rates Across Data Vintages and Studies Josh Martin Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 65–73](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/appendix-uk-productivity-growth-rates-across-data-vintages-and-studies/) [Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence for Productivity Francesco Filippucci, Peter Gal, Katharina Laengle, Matthias Schief, Filiz Unsal Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–26](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/opportunities-and-risks-of-artificial-intelligence-for-productivity/) [How Does Industrial Policy Impact Output, Hours and Productivity? The Canadian Experience Tim Sargent Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 39–53](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/how-does-industrial-policy-impact-output-hours-and-productivity-the-canadian-experience/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This article examines whether trend productivity growth has increased in Canada using a standard neoclassical growth accounting framework. It argues that, unlike in the United States where the productivity acceleration began in 1995, Canada’s acceleration started in 1996 and has been largely overlooked because commentators apply the U.S. breakpoint to all countries. The authors find that Canada’s business sector labour productivity growth rose by about 1 percentage point after 1996, driven primarily by ICT capital deepening, and conclude that trend productivity growth has indeed increased in Canada, though the role of TFP growth outside the ICT sector is more uncertain. Cet article examine si la croissance tendancielle de la productivité a augmenté au Canada à l’aide d’un cadre standard de comptabilité de la croissance néoclassique. Il soutient que, contrairement aux États-Unis où l’accélération de la productivité a débuté en 1995, le Canada a connu son accélération à partir de 1996, ce qui est largement passé inaperçu parce que les commentateurs appliquent à tous les pays le point de rupture américain. Les auteurs constatent que la croissance de la productivité du travail du secteur des entreprises au Canada a augmenté d’environ 1 point de pourcentage après 1996, portée principalement par l’approfondissement du capital en TIC, et concluent que la croissance tendancielle de la productivité a effectivement augmenté au Canada, bien que le rôle de la croissance de la PMF en dehors du secteur des TIC soit plus incertain. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-6-4-Robidoux-Wong.pdf)