The Impact of the Oil Boom on Canada’s Labour Productivity Performance, 2000-2012

The objective of this article is to evaluate the impact of the oil and gas industry on labour productivity growth in Canada since 2000 through an exploration of the various channels, both direct and indirect, by which the oil and gas sector affects aggregate productivity. The article sheds light on...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Andrew Sharpe, Bert Waslander
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Centre for the Study of Living Standards 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/74518f907602438da6cb4b8b90775271
Description
Summary:The objective of this article is to evaluate the impact of the oil and gas industry on labour productivity growth in Canada since 2000 through an exploration of the various channels, both direct and indirect, by which the oil and gas sector affects aggregate productivity. The article sheds light on the paradoxical lack of a direct negative contribution of the oil and gas sector to aggregate labour productivity growth despite the very large fall in productivity experienced by the sector. It highlights the divergent productivity growth paths for the oil and gas sectors in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, which drove the aggregate productivity performance of these two provinces. The article also discusses how developments in the oil and gas industry, notably the increase in the price and production of petroleum, have affected productivity growth in other parts of the economy.