--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/productivity-of-unionized-and-non-unionized-workers-in-the-construction-sector-a-review-of-the-literature/" title: "Productivity of Unionized and Non-Unionized Workers in the Construction Sector: A Review of the Literature" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T10:39:21+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T10:39:21+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "capital intensity" - "collective bargaining" - "construction sector" - "literature review" - "productivity" - "unions" - "worker turnover" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Labour Markets" - "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" --- # Productivity of Unionized and Non-Unionized Workers in the Construction Sector: A Review of the Literature Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/productivity-of-unionized-and-non-unionized-workers-in-the-construction-sector-a-review-of-the-literature/ # Productivity of Unionized and Non-Unionized Workers in the Construction Sector: A Review of the Literature [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2020-01-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Lapointe, Simon. 2020. “Productivity of Unionized and Non-Unionized Workers in the Construction Sector: A Review of the Literature.” CSLS Research Report 2020-01. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/productivity-of-unionized-and-non-unionized-workers-in-the-construction-sector-a-review-of-the-literature/ ## Author: - Simon Lapointe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2020-01 January 2020 26 pages ## Related research [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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Negative examples include restrictive rules imposed on working arrangements or resistance to new technologies. Positive examples include higher levels of capital per worker, more training, lower worker turner, and the attraction of better workers through higher wages. Brown and Medoff (1978) argue, along with a number of authors in the following decades, that in the end the impact of unions on productivity is an empirical question. This report reviews the literature on the topic, focusing mostly on empirical works. While early works found a large positive impact of unions on productivity, later results are more conflicted. More recently, new methods of causal inference such as Regression Discontinuity Design have shed light on the topic, finding either a positive impact or inconclusive results. One main take away from the literature is that null effects can often hide heterogeneous impacts. For example, unions could affect productivity differently in different countries or industries, or depending on the composition of the workforce in different plants. Developments of more detailed datasets at the firm level, as well as matched employee-employer datasets should allow for better and more precise results in the future. Dans leurs travaux fondateurs, Brown et Medoff (1978) soutiennent que les syndicats peuvent avoir des effets à la fois positifs et négatifs sur la productivité. Les effets négatifs comprennent notamment des règles restrictives imposées aux modalités de travail ou la résistance aux nouvelles technologies. Les effets positifs comprennent un niveau plus élevé de capital par travailleur, davantage de formation, un roulement de main-d’œuvre plus faible, et l’attraction de meilleurs travailleurs grâce à des salaires plus élevés. Brown et Medoff (1978), tout comme plusieurs auteurs au cours des décennies suivantes, soutiennent qu’en fin de compte, l’incidence des syndicats sur la productivité demeure une question empirique. Ce rapport recense la littérature sur le sujet, en mettant surtout l’accent sur les travaux empiriques. Alors que les premiers travaux ont révélé une importante incidence positive des syndicats sur la productivité, les résultats plus récents sont plus contradictoires. Plus récemment, de nouvelles méthodes d’inférence causale, telles que la régression sur discontinuité, ont permis d’éclairer la question, révélant soit une incidence positive, soit des résultats non concluants. L’un des principaux constats de la littérature est que des effets nuls peuvent souvent masquer des incidences hétérogènes. Par exemple, les syndicats pourraient avoir une incidence différente sur la productivité selon les pays ou les industries, ou selon la composition de la main-d’œuvre dans différents établissements. L’élaboration d’ensembles de données plus détaillés à l’échelle de l’entreprise, ainsi que d’ensembles de données appariées employé-employeur, devrait permettre d’obtenir des résultats plus précis à l’avenir. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2020-01-1.pdf)