PC Productivity Insights
Australia's productivity performance has a major influence on real per capita income growth. Productivity growth improves current living standards as well as the nation's capacity to address future challenges such as our ageing population and global economic shocks.
Despite the best efforts of statisticians and economists, the measurement and interpretation of productivity remains a challenge. The insights seek to demystify this commonly used, but easily misunderstood, concept.
Future editions of Productivity Insights will unpack the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) productivity statistics, and report on the findings of the Commission's most recent research into productivity issues.
Read the latest research
Recent developments
16 Jun 2021
Features: The first recession in 28 years; Industry-level productivity performance; Structural effects of COVID-19; Decade in review: slowest growth in 60 years.
Things you can’t drop on your feet: An overview of Australia’s services sector productivity
14 Apr 2021
Features: Service sector growth is a feature of a maturing economy; Service sector facts and myths; Challenges in measuring productivity in the service sector; Measurement issues in service sector productivity; Improving service sector productivity through digitisation.
Australia’s long term productivity experience
19 Nov 2020
Features: COVID-19 has ended Australia’s recession-free streak; Learning from past recessions; Working smarter not harder has been key; Australia’s high standard of living is not guaranteed; The role of policy in Australia’s shifting fortunes; Where to next?
Can Australia be a productivity leader?
13 Mar 2020
Features: Australia's living standards compare well, partly due to high labour utilisation; Can Australia catch up to the US?
Recent productivity trends
17 Feb 2020
Features: A strong labour market has supported continued economic growth; The productivity slowdown; Strong terms of trade have allowed incomes to outgrow productivity over the past 20 years
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