Read the news release: Low productivity jobs driving employment growth in many OECD countries

Highlights

Economic growth is picking up, but productivity growth remains weak: what is driving the upswing?

Global economic growth remains solid and broad-based, even though the pace has eased in recent periods. But while the upturn is set to persist into 2018, it has been modest, partly reflecting continued relatively weak labour productivity growth in most countries. Among OECD economies, in the United Kingdom and the United States, and more recently in Mexico, Spain and Italy, the recovery in GDP growth has been largely sustained by increasing employment.

Growth in GDP, labour productivity, average hours worked and employment
Selected countries, total economy, percentage change at annual rate

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However, in many countries, job creation in the post-crisis period has occurred mostly in activities with relatively low labour productivity, dragging down overall labour productivity, although this partly reflects a rebound in employment in activities hit hardest by the crisis. In nearly all major OECD economies, the top three sectors generating the largest net employment gains over the period 2010-2016 had below average labour productivity, with restaurants, health and residential care activities featuring highly in most economies.

Labour compensation levels correlate highly with labour productivity levels, and, so, more jobs in lower labour productivity activities has also meant more jobs with below average wages in most economies, working to weigh down on average salaries in the economy as a whole.

Change in employment over the period 2010-2016, or latest available year
Thousands of persons

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GET REAL TIME DATA

The OECD Productivity Statistics database contains more and longer time series than presented in the publication. Data are available from 1970 onwards for some countries. The database is updated on a daily basis.

• GDP per capita and productivity levels
• Labour productivity growth
• Growth in labour input
• Growth in capital input
• Capital productivity
• Multifactor productivity
• Contributions to GDP growth
• Contributions to labour productivity growth
• Unit labour costs
• Productivity and unit labour costs by industry

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Productivity statistics
• The Productivity-Inclusiveness Nexus
• Global Forum on Productivity

CONTACT

For further information, please contact the OECD Statistics Directorate at stat.contact@oecd.org.