--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/new-estimates-of-manufacturing-productivity-growth-for-canada-and-the-united-states/" title: "New Estimates of Manufacturing Productivity Growth for Canada and the United States" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T14:09:42+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T14:09:42+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada-US comparison" - "electronics" - "industrial machinery" - "labour productivity" - "manufacturing productivity" - "NAFTA" - "output per hour" - "productivity gap" - "SIC industries" - "Statistics Canada" - "total factor productivity" - "trade liberalization" country_focus: - "Canada" - "United States" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Productivity and Economic Measurement" - "Sector/Industry Analysis" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # New Estimates of Manufacturing Productivity Growth for Canada and the United States Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/new-estimates-of-manufacturing-productivity-growth-for-canada-and-the-united-states/ # New Estimates of Manufacturing Productivity Growth for Canada and the United States [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls1999-02.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew. 1999. “New Estimates of Manufacturing Productivity Growth for Canada and the United States.” CSLS Research Report 1999-02. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/new-estimates-of-manufacturing-productivity-growth-for-canada-and-the-united-states/ ## Author: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 1999-02 March 1999 21 pages ## Related research [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/) [Productivity Trends: A Canada-U.S. Comparison Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) January 1999 | Report 1999-01 | 6 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-a-canada-u-s-comparison/) [A Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Labour Market Performance, 1989-2000 Andrew Sharpe April 2001 | Report 2001-01 | 29 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-comparison-of-canadian-and-u-s-labour-market-performance-1989-2000/) [Productivity Trends in the Construction Sector: A Case of Lagging Technical Progress Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) November 2001 | Report 2001-03 | 177 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-the-construction-sector-a-case-of-lagging-technical-progress/) [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/) [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/) [Why Are Americans More Productive Than Canadians? Andrew Sharpe June 2003 | Report 2003-03 | 83 pages](https://csls.ca/research/why-are-americans-more-productive-than-canadians/) [Productivity Growth and Poverty Reduction in Developing Countries Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) September 2003 | Report 2003-06 | 70 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-growth-and-poverty-reduction-in-developing-countries/) [The Canada-Atlantic Canada Manufacturing Productivity Gap: A Detailed Analysis Andrew Sharpe December 2003 | Report 2003-08 | 127 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-canada-atlantic-canada-manufacturing-productivity-gap-a-detailed-analysis/) [Productivity Growth in Service Industries: A Canadian Success Story Someshwar Rao, Andrew Sharpe, Jianmin Tang February 2004 | Report 2004-01 | 58 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-growth-in-service-industries-a-canadian-success-story/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn In recent months, the issue of productivity has risen to the top of the federal government’s economic policy agenda. The motivation for this development has been the perception that Canada’s aggregate productivity performance has been dismal in the 1990s, particularly relative to the United States. This perception is indeed true when productivity is measued on a per worker or person employed basis. Total economy GDP per worker advanced at a 1.1 per cent average annual rate in the United States over the 1989-98 period compared to 0.8 per cent in Canada. Au cours des derniers mois, la question de la productivité est devenue une priorité absolue du programme de politique économique du gouvernement fédéral. Cette évolution s’explique par la perception selon laquelle la performance globale du Canada en matière de productivité a été désastreuse dans les années 1990, particulièrement par rapport aux États-Unis. Cette perception est effectivement fondée lorsque la productivité est mesurée par travailleur ou par personne employée. Le PIB par travailleur de l’ensemble de l’économie a progressé à un taux annuel moyen de 1,1 % aux États-Unis durant la période 1989-1998, comparativement à 0,8 % au Canada. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls1999-02.pdf)