--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-6/international-productivity-comparisons-an-examination-of-data-sources/" title: "International Productivity Comparisons: An Examination of Data Sources" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T05:43:01+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T06:41:27+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2003" ipm_keyword: - "BLS" - "data sources" - "Groningen" - "hours worked" - "international productivity comparisons" - "labour productivity" - "OECD" - "purchasing power parities" - "TFP" ipm_research_theme: - "Measurement and methodology" ipm_country_focus: - "Canada" - "International" - "OECD" - "United States" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # International Productivity Comparisons: An Examination of Data Sources Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-6/international-productivity-comparisons-an-examination-of-data-sources/ # International Productivity Comparisons: An Examination of Data Sources [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-6-6-Smith.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Smith, Jeremy. 2003. “International Productivity Comparisons: An Examination of Data Sources.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 6 (Spring 2003): 64–71. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-6/international-productivity-comparisons-an-examination-of-data-sources/ ## Author: - Jeremy Smith Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## IPM Issue 6 Spring 2003 pp. 64–71 ## Related IPM articles [Is the SNA Still Useful? 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It discusses key methodological issues including the use of purchasing power parities (PPPs), comparability of hours-worked data, and differences in national accounting standards for software and the underground economy. Major data sources reviewed include the OECD, the Conference Board, the Groningen Growth and Development Centre, the BLS, and Statistics Canada. Cet article fournit aux chercheurs et aux analystes de politiques un guide des bases de données accessibles au public pour les comparaisons internationales de productivité, couvrant la productivité du travail, la production par heure et la productivité multifactorielle aux niveaux de l’économie totale et par industrie. Il examine les principales questions méthodologiques, notamment l’utilisation des parités de pouvoir d’achat (PPA), la comparabilité des données sur les heures travaillées et les différences dans les normes de comptabilité nationale pour les logiciels et l’économie souterraine. Les principales sources de données examinées comprennent celles de l’OCDE, du Conference Board, du Centre de croissance et de développement de Groningue, du BLS et de Statistique Canada. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-6-6-Smith.pdf)