Productivity and Prosperity in Quebec – 2010 Overview

This second edition of Productivity and Prosperity in Québec marks the first anniversary of the Centre for Productivity and Prosperity. In addition to monitoring Québec’s performance in terms of productivity and prosperity, this second edition allows the Centre to fulfil a key part of its mandate, i.e. to focus debate in Québec on the crucial issue of productivity as our main source of prosperity.

Drawing on historical and contemporary data, this 2010 Overview seeks to identify current and future obstacles that Québec must overcome in order to guarantee Quebeckers a high and lasting quality of life. In this year’s edition we examine the impact of the slowdown in the world economy on Québec’s economic performance. We also present a historical analysis of Québec’s performance in terms of labour productivity which allows us to identify the root causes of its current situation. This second edition also offers a forward-looking analysis of the impact of Québec’s ageing population on its economic performance. Lastly, this edition includes a special section looking at a factor that could improve labour productivity: foreign direct investment (FDI).

Centre for Productivity and Prosperity. Productivity and Prosperity in Québec – 2010 Overview, HEC Montréal, September 2010.

Methodology

This accompanying publication serves as a methodological reference for the Productivity and prosperity in Québec 2010 Overview report. The technical information it provides is designed to give the reader a more in-depth understanding of the concepts, calculations and data used in producing the annual overview of productivity in Québec. It is divided into four sections, each one with a detailed analysis, in chronological form, of the methodology used in creating the graphs and tables.