Productivity Trends in Natural Resources Industries in Canada

Abstract

This report provides a comprehensive overview of productivity trends and levels in Canada’s forest products sector—covering logging and forestry, wood products, and paper products—at the national and provincial level over the 1961–2000 period, with international comparisons to the United States and Finland. It examines output, employment, capital stock, labour productivity, capital productivity, and total factor productivity. Key findings include that labour productivity levels in forest products generally exceeded the all-industries average, and long-run productivity performance was strong, with all three forest product industries exceeding the total economy average annual growth rate of 1.80 per cent over 1961–2000. The report also identifies 13 determinants of productivity growth and applies them to explain trends in the sector.

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