--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/productivity-drivers-in-british-columbia-strategic-areas-for-improvement/" title: "Productivity Drivers in British Columbia: Strategic Areas for Improvement" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:37:38+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:37:38+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "British Columbia" - "competition policy" - "drivers of productivity" - "education" - "innovation" - "investment" - "productivity" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "BC" research_theme: - "Productivity and Economic Measurement" - "Regional Economic Development" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Productivity Drivers in British Columbia: Strategic Areas for Improvement Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/productivity-drivers-in-british-columbia-strategic-areas-for-improvement/ # Productivity Drivers in British Columbia: Strategic Areas for Improvement [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2008-09.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew, and Jean-François Arsenault. 2008. “Productivity Drivers in British Columbia: Strategic Areas for Improvement.” CSLS Research Report 2008-09. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/productivity-drivers-in-british-columbia-strategic-areas-for-improvement/ ## Authors: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - Jean-François Arsenault Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2008-09 December 2008 33 pages ## Related research [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/) [Why Are Americans More Productive Than Canadians? 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These areas could be the object of further research in the context of a productivity series produced for the British Columbia Progress Board by the Centre for the Study of living Standards. They are, in the proposed order of completion: Education and literacy, including professional qualifications and education for targeted groups such as aboriginals and recent immigrants, credentials recognition. Public and private investment, including public infrastructure, business investment and taxation structure. Research and innovation, including R&D investment, product and process innovation, knowledge diffusion and technology adoption. Resource reallocation, including competition policy, improving market mechanisms, product market regulation and foreign ownership rules. Trade and migration, including interprovincial and international movement of goods and services, skilled and unskilled immigration and emigration and interprovincial migration. Une brève analyse de la performance de la productivité de la Colombie-Britannique et de l’état des moteurs de cette performance révèle que cinq domaines méritent une attention particulière. Ces domaines pourraient faire l’objet de recherches plus approfondies dans le cadre d’une série d’études sur la productivité produite pour le British Columbia Progress Board par le Centre d’étude des niveaux de vie. Il s’agit, dans l’ordre proposé d’achèvement : l’éducation et la littératie, y compris les qualifications professionnelles et l’éducation pour des groupes ciblés tels que les Autochtones et les immigrants récents, ainsi que la reconnaissance des titres de compétences. L’investissement public et privé, y compris les infrastructures publiques, l’investissement des entreprises et la structure fiscale. La recherche et l’innovation, y compris l’investissement en R-D, l’innovation de produits et de procédés, la diffusion des connaissances et l’adoption de technologies. La réaffectation des ressources, y compris la politique de la concurrence, l’amélioration des mécanismes de marché, la réglementation des marchés de produits et les règles de propriété étrangère. Le commerce et la migration, y compris les mouvements interprovinciaux et internationaux de biens et de services, l’immigration et l’émigration qualifiées et non qualifiées, et la migration interprovinciale. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2008-09.pdf)