--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/can-the-canada-u-s-ict-investment-gap-be-explained-by-measurement-issues/" title: "Can the Canada-U.S. ICT Investment Gap Be Explained by Measurement Issues?" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:03:47+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:03:47+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "ICT investment" - "industry gap" - "information and cultural industries" - "measurement" - "productivity" - "software investment" - "United States" country_focus: - "Canada" - "United States" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Productivity and Economic Measurement" - "Technology and Innovation" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Can the Canada-U.S. ICT Investment Gap Be Explained by Measurement Issues? Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/can-the-canada-u-s-ict-investment-gap-be-explained-by-measurement-issues/ # Can the Canada-U.S. ICT Investment Gap Be Explained by Measurement Issues? [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2013-03-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew, and Vikram Rai. 2013. “Can the Canada-U.S. ICT Investment Gap Be Explained by Measurement Issues?” CSLS Research Report 2013-03. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/can-the-canada-u-s-ict-investment-gap-be-explained-by-measurement-issues/ ## Authors: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - Vikram Rai Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2013-03 May 2013 137 pages ## Related research [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? Andrew Sharpe December 1999 | Report 1999-03 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/apprenticeship-in-canadaa-training-system-under-siege/) [A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being Andrew Sharpe July 1999 | Report 1999-cprn | 72 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/) [Creating a More Efficient Labour Market Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2001 | Report 2001-02 | 147 pages](https://csls.ca/research/creating-a-more-efficient-labour-market/) [The Impact of the National Child Benefit Supplement on the Low Income Status of Canadian Families with Children: The SPSD/M Results Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2002 | Report 2002-01 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-impact-of-the-national-child-benefit-supplement-on-the-low-income-status-of-canadian-families-with-children-the-spsd-m-results/) [Productivity Trends in Natural Resources Industries in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01a | 69 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-natural-resources-industries-in-canada/) [Productivity in the Forest Products Sector: A Review of the Literature Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-02 | 28 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-in-the-forest-products-sector-a-review-of-the-literature/) [An Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01b | 64 pages](https://csls.ca/research/an-analysis-of-productivity-trends-in-the-forest-products-sector-in-canada/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn In 2011, business sector investment per worker in information and communications technology (ICT) in Canada was only 57.8 per cent of the U.S. level, indicating an ICT investment per worker gap of 42.2 percentage points. Numerous explanations have been advanced to explain this gap, one of which is that the ICT investment data from Statistics Canada and the Bureau of Economic Analysis are not strictly comparable. The primary focus of this report is to analyze that hypothesis. We compare the methodology used to measure ICT investment in Canada and the United States and find that issues related to measurement account for approximately 4 percentage points (10 per cent) of the gap. Although software investment has been responsible for 90 per cent of the gap in recent years, seven out of 17 industries in Canada actually had greater investment per worker levels than the United States in both total ICT and software. A small number of ICT-intensive industries has been responsible for a substantial part of the gap. In particular, information and cultural industries accounted for 39.1 per cent of the total gap. This supports the conclusion that the Canada-U.S. ICT investment per worker gap is largely the result of industry-specific factors which affect software investment. En 2011, l’investissement par travailleur du secteur des entreprises en technologies de l’information et des communications (TIC) au Canada ne représentait que 57,8 % du niveau américain, ce qui indique un écart d’investissement en TIC par travailleur de 42,2 points de pourcentage. De nombreuses explications ont été avancées pour expliquer cet écart, dont l’une est que les données sur l’investissement en TIC de Statistique Canada et du Bureau of Economic Analysis ne sont pas strictement comparables. Ce rapport vise principalement à analyser cette hypothèse. Nous comparons la méthodologie utilisée pour mesurer l’investissement en TIC au Canada et aux États-Unis, et constatons que les enjeux de mesure expliquent environ 4 points de pourcentage (10 %) de l’écart. Bien que l’investissement en logiciels ait été responsable de 90 % de l’écart ces dernières années, sept des 17 industries canadiennes affichaient en fait des niveaux d’investissement par travailleur supérieurs à ceux des États-Unis, tant pour l’ensemble des TIC que pour les logiciels. Un petit nombre d’industries à forte intensité de TIC est responsable d’une part importante de l’écart. En particulier, les industries de l’information et de la culture représentaient 39,1 % de l’écart total. Ce constat appuie la conclusion selon laquelle l’écart d’investissement en TIC par travailleur entre le Canada et les États-Unis résulte largement de facteurs propres à certaines industries qui influent sur l’investissement en logiciels. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2013-03-1.pdf)