--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/partial-versus-total-factor-productivity-assessing-resource-use-in-natural-resource-industries-in-canada/" title: "Partial versus Total Factor Productivity: Assessing Resource Use in Natural Resource Industries in Canada" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T12:42:15+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T12:42:15+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "capital productivity" - "forestry" - "labour productivity" - "mining" - "natural resources" - "oil and gas" - "partial productivity" - "total factor productivity" country_focus: - "Canada" 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" --- # Partial versus Total Factor Productivity: Assessing Resource Use in Natural Resource Industries in Canada Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/partial-versus-total-factor-productivity-assessing-resource-use-in-natural-resource-industries-in-canada/ # Partial versus Total Factor Productivity: Assessing Resource Use in Natural Resource Industries in Canada [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2016-20-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Murray, Alexander. 2016. “Partial versus Total Factor Productivity: Assessing Resource Use in Natural Resource Industries in Canada.” CSLS Research Report 2016-20. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/partial-versus-total-factor-productivity-assessing-resource-use-in-natural-resource-industries-in-canada/ ## Author: - Alexander Murray Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2016-20 December 2016 54 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/) [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/) [New Estimates of Manufacturing Productivity Growth for Canada and the United States Andrew Sharpe March 1999 | Report 1999-02 | 21 pages](https://csls.ca/research/new-estimates-of-manufacturing-productivity-growth-for-canada-and-the-united-states/) [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/) [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/) [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/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn A partial productivity measure relates output to a single input. Total factor productivity (or TFP) relates an index of output to a composite index of all inputs. This report discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each type of productivity measure from theoretical and methodological perspectives. Different productivity measures may be useful for different analytical purposes, and no single measure provides a complete picture of an industry’s productivity performance. The report then presents estimates of TFP and a suite of partial productivity measures for a set of natural resource-related industries in Canada. The three forestry products industries and the crop and animal production industry exhibited the best productivity performance over the 1990-2012 period across a variety of productivity measures, while oil and gas extraction and mining experienced the worst productivity performance. Une mesure de productivité partielle relie la production à un seul intrant. La productivité multifactorielle (ou PMF) relie un indice de production à un indice composite de l’ensemble des intrants. Ce rapport traite des forces et des faiblesses de chaque type de mesure de la productivité du point de vue théorique et méthodologique. Différentes mesures de la productivité peuvent être utiles à différentes fins analytiques, et aucune mesure unique ne donne un portrait complet de la performance d’une industrie en matière de productivité. Le rapport présente ensuite des estimations de la PMF et un ensemble de mesures de productivité partielle pour un groupe d’industries liées aux ressources naturelles au Canada. Les trois industries de produits forestiers et l’industrie de la production animale et végétale ont affiché la meilleure performance de productivité au cours de la période 1990-2012 selon diverses mesures de productivité, tandis que l’extraction de pétrole et de gaz ainsi que l’exploitation minière ont affiché la pire performance. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2016-20-1.pdf)