Has Trend Productivity Growth Increased in Canada?

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Abstract

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.

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