Investment and Long-term Productivity Growth in the Canadian Business Sector, 1961 to 2002

Abstract

This paper employs the databases that are used to construct Statistics Canada’s Productivity Accounts to examine the sources of growth in the Canadian economy and the history of productivity growth in Canada over the period 1961 to 2002. It makes use of a new time series using the North American Industry Classification System. The growth accounting system provides the framework for the analysis. This framework provides estimates of the relative importance of labour inputs, investments in capital, and productivity growth. The data that are required to address this issue also allow changes in the composition of capital and labour inputs to be investigated. In addition, the underlying factors that determine labour productivity (multifactor productivity, capital deepening, and increases in skill level) are outlined. Since the database is constructed at the industry level, all these relationships can be pursued both at the level of the total economy and for individual industries.

Keywords: productivity, investment, technological progress

JEL Classification: D24, J24, O47, E22