--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/report-on-productivity-trends-in-selected-natural-resource-industries-in-canada/" title: "Report on Productivity Trends in Selected Natural Resource Industries in Canada" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:59:55+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:59:55+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "coal" - "energy" - "forestry" - "gold" - "mining" - "natural resources" - "oil and gas" - "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" --- # Report on Productivity Trends in Selected Natural Resource Industries in Canada Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/report-on-productivity-trends-in-selected-natural-resource-industries-in-canada/ # Report on Productivity Trends in Selected Natural Resource Industries in Canada [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2004-06-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. 2004. “Report on Productivity Trends in Selected Natural Resource Industries in Canada.” CSLS Research Report 2004-06. Ottawa. https://csls.ca/research/report-on-productivity-trends-in-selected-natural-resource-industries-in-canada/ ## Author: - Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2004-06 October 2004 67 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/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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This report provides a concise review of the findings of a detailed analysis undertaken by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards for Natural Resources Canada. The importance of productivity growth is reviewed, and observations are made on the contribution of natural resource industries to aggregate productivity growth; brief summaries on productivity and its determinants are presented for each of the nine industries; and the findings are synthesized into lessons for the natural resource sector as a whole. Some of the main findings are that: natural resource industries contribute disproportionately to aggregate productivity growth in Canada, with labour productivity levels twice as high as the total economy on average, and labour productivity growth one and one half times as rapid as total economy labour productivity growth; capital deepening is a key driver of labour productivity growth in natural resource industries, and high levels of capital intensity explain the high levels of labour productivity in natural resource industries; technological advance is another important driver of labour productivity growth in natural resource industries, and has also increased the importance of human capital; the earth sciences industries make a significant contribution to productivity growth in natural resource industries by providing innovative exploration and development services; and price trends play a large role in the productivity performance of many natural resource industries by determining the quality of deposit that is profitable to be exploited. L’objectif de ce rapport est d’éclairer la dynamique et les déterminants de la croissance de la productivité dans neuf industries de ressources naturelles sélectionnées et dans l’ensemble du secteur des ressources naturelles au Canada. Ce rapport présente un résumé concis des constats d’une analyse détaillée entreprise par le Centre d’étude des niveaux de vie pour Ressources naturelles Canada. L’importance de la croissance de la productivité est examinée, et des observations sont formulées sur la contribution des industries de ressources naturelles à la croissance globale de la productivité; de brefs résumés sur la productivité et ses déterminants sont présentés pour chacune des neuf industries; et les constats sont synthétisés en leçons pour l’ensemble du secteur des ressources naturelles. Parmi les principaux constats, mentionnons que : les industries de ressources naturelles contribuent de façon disproportionnée à la croissance globale de la productivité au Canada, avec des niveaux de productivité du travail deux fois plus élevés que l’ensemble de l’économie en moyenne, et une croissance de la productivité du travail une fois et demie plus rapide que celle de l’ensemble de l’économie; l’intensification capitalistique est un moteur clé de la croissance de la productivité du travail dans les industries de ressources naturelles, et les niveaux élevés d’intensité capitalistique expliquent les niveaux élevés de productivité du travail dans ces industries; le progrès technologique est un autre moteur important de la croissance de la productivité du travail dans les industries de ressources naturelles, et a également accru l’importance du capital humain. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2004-06-1.pdf)