Labour Productivity Measures - National (Quarterly) (LPM)

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 2000

Reference period of change - fourth quarter 2020

With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 2016 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the release on quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by income and expenditure and the release on monthly GDP by industry, released on March 2, 2021.

This release also incorporates the 2016 to 2019 revisions of the benchmark data on provincial and territorial labour productivity and related measures, which were published on February 12, 2021.

Lastly, it should be noted that this release does not take into account recent revisions from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), released on January 25, 2021. The incorporation of the historical revisions of LFS is scheduled for March 4, 2022, with the release of fourth quarter 2021 data.

Reference period of change - third quarter 2020

Data from one quarter to the next have been quite volatile, reflecting the impacts of the pandemic on economic activity and the labour market. Given the sharp changes in the four quarters of 2020, the percentage changes from the same quarter a year earlier better reflect the changes in productivity and its related measures than percentage changes from quarter to quarter. Note that the quarterly data in Table 1 of this release are presented in the usual format: the percentage change from the same quarter in the previous year (q/q-4), and the change from the previous quarter (q/q-1).
With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 2016 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the release on quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by income and expenditure and the release on monthly GDP by industry, published yesterday.

This release also incorporates the 2019 as well as revised 2017 and 2018 benchmark data on provincial and territorial labour productivity and related measures, published on August 18, 2020.

Reference period of change - second quarter 2020

With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 2019 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the release on quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by income and expenditure and the release on monthly GDP by industry, published on August 28, 2020.

Reference period of change - first quarter 2020

With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 2019 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by income and expenditure and monthly GDP by industry, released on May 29, 2020.

Reference period of change - fourth quarter 2019

With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 1997 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the annual benchmarks on provincial and territorial labour productivity and related measures, released on February 12, 2020. They are also consistent with those incorporated in the quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by income and expenditure and monthly GDP by industry, released on February 28, 2020. In addition, indexes of all series at the aggregate level were subject to historical revision going back to 1981, as a result of revisions to the values for the 2012 reference year. However, the resulting growth rate revisions were negligible.

Reference period of change - third quarter 2019

With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 2016 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by income and expenditure and monthly GDP by industry, published on November 29, 2019.

Reference period of change - second quarter 2019

With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 2018 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by income and expenditure and monthly GDP by industry, published on August 30, 2019.

Reference period of change - first quarter 2019

With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 2018 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by income and expenditure and monthly GDP by industry, published on May 31, 2019. This release also incorporates the new 2018 benchmark data on provincial and territorial labour productivity and related measures, published on May 22, 2019.

Reference period of change - fourth quarter 2018

With this release on labour productivity and related measures, data were revised back to the first quarter of 1997 at the aggregate and industry levels. These revisions are consistent with those incorporated in the annual benchmarks on provincial and territorial labour productivity and related measures, published on February 22, 2019. As well, indexes of all series were subject to historical revision going back to1981, as a result of revisions to the values for the 2012 reference year. However, the resulting growth rate revisions were negligible.

Due to the shutdown for some US federal agencies providing source data, the publication of preliminary data on American productivity and related measures for fourth quarter and annual average 2018 did not occur as scheduled on February 6, 2019. Therefore, for the purpose of comparison, American data for this reference period will not be mentioned in this release.

Reference period of change - fourth quarter 2012

The report Impact of the 2012 CSNA revisions on the Quarterly Labour Productivity Accounts (www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/13-605-x/2012003/article/11728-eng.htm) highlights the revisions to the quarterly estimates of labour productivity and associated variables in the business sector resulting from the historical revision of the national gross domestic product by income and by expenditure accounts (NIEA) released on October 1st , 2012.

Reference period of change - first quarter 2005

Beginning with this reference period, the production of the estimates uses a new methodology to benchmark the quarterly series to the annual.

Reference period of change - third quarter 2003

In December 2003, the quarterly estimates for two-digit industries by NAICS (North American Industry Classification System), was added to the Quarterly Canadian Productivity Accounts, which until then had been limited to the overall business sector.

Reference period of change - third quarter 2000

In December 2000, the dissemination of quarterly data was added to the current Canadian Productivity Accounts Program, which until then had only produced annual estimates.

To learn more about the Annual Canadian Productivity Accounts, please refer to survey number 1402, Productivity Measures, Inputs and Outputs by Industry in Current and Constant Prices.

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