Symposium on Future Productivity Growth in Canada: An Introduction

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Abstract

This introduction to a three-paper symposium on future productivity growth in Canada provides context for the contributions by Wilson, Macklem, and Robidoux. It discusses the choice of aggregate labour productivity measure (total economy versus business sector; persons versus hours), the relationship between productivity and the sustainability of social programs, and alternative long-term productivity forecasts from Global Insight, Informetrica, and the Conference Board. The key message is a consensus among symposium contributors that total economy labour productivity growth in Canada is likely to average around 2 per cent per year over the next two decades.

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