Labour Productivity In Canada

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Growth in labour productivity is important because it is associated with economic growth, standards of living, and real incomes. It is another useful tool that we can use to compare the welfare and growth of countries. Labour productivity measures the amount of Real GDP produced by an hour of labour. Increases in labour productivity can occur from increases in the amount of machines and equipment available to workers, a higher proportion of skilled workers, increases in plant scale, changes in organizational structure, and improvements in technology (1). If labour productivity in a country is lower, it can mean that goods and services are not being produced efficiently. Countries that are able to adapt to new technologies and the way the global economy functions are more likely to have high productivity and a greater standard of living. Canada's labour productivity growth has lagged behind the US numbers for over 30 years and could be from a number of possible explanations. One reason in particular could be the sluggish innovation in the information technology industry. The tertiary sector of the global economy has been increasing in the last 30 years. However, Canada has been emphasizing focus on the primary industries such as mining and agriculture and the secondary industries like …show more content…

One way of investing in the IT sector is by promoting and incentivizing students to pursue a degree in an information technology field. A university degree is accepted as great indicator of advanced skills and talents. With more people flocking to the IT sector which includes science, math, computer science, and engineering, Canada can expect to have a generation of technological advances. Currently, Canada is producing a low percentage of graduates in these types of degrees and ranks 12th out of 16 countries according to the Conference Board of Canada

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