A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Ontario, 2000-2013: Sunset Industry or Industry in Transition?

Evan Capeluck () and Jasmin Thomas

No 2015-06, CSLS Research Reports from Centre for the Study of Living Standards

Abstract: Ontario’s forest products sector was hit by a near perfect storm in the first decade of the twenty-first century, when a multitude of structural and cyclical factors came together to devastate the sector. Despite this, the Ontario forest products sector has had an above-average productivity performance, driven in particular by the wood product manufacturing subsector. This report provides a detailed analysis of output, input and productivity trends in the Ontario 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 Ontario’s forest products sector if it wants to remain competitive internationally. In this vein, the report recommends a renewed focus on human and physical capital investment, as well as on R&D spending and the introduction of new innovative products.

Keywords: Productivity; Growth; Forestry; Canada; Research and Development; Capital Intensity; Human Capital; Physical Capital; Wood Product Manufacturing; Paper Manufacturing; Forest Products Sector; Ontario (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D24 E23 J00 J08 O13 O30 O51 Q20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eff and nep-mac
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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