A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Canadian Forest Products Sector

Ricardo de Avillez

No 2014-01, CSLS Research Reports from Centre for the Study of Living Standards

Abstract: The Canadian forest products sector has had an above-average productivity performance in the 2000-2012 period, driven in particular by the wood product manufacturing subsector. While the forestry and logging subsector has also benefited from strong productivity gains, the productivity performance of the paper manufacturing subsector has been far from impressive, especially in the post-2008 period. This report provides a detailed analysis of output, input and productivity trends in the Canadian forest products sector. It also looks at the key drivers of productivity in the sector, investigating potential barriers to productivity growth and discussing policies that could enable faster growth. Given the increasing role of countries with low-labour costs in several forest product markets, maintaining robust productivity growth is an imperative for the Canadian forest products sector if it wants to remain competitive internationally. In this sense, the report recommends renewed focus on human and physical capital investment, as well as on R&D spending.

Keywords: Productivity; Growth; Forestry; Canada; Research and Development; Capital Intensity; Human Capital; Physical Capital; Wood Product Manufacturing; Paper Manufacuturing; Forest Products Sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D24 E23 J00 J08 O13 O30 O51 Q20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-eff, nep-env and nep-mac
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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