Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 March 2020
In this note, I present and discuss comparisons of productivity and unit labour costs between the UK and a number of industrial countries. Initially results are discussed for the UK and its four largest industrial competitors: France, Germany, Japan and the United States, collectively the G5 countries. Later the comparisons are extended to eight other countries. Both growth rates and levels of productivity and unit labour costs are considered, comparisons of levels being far more difficult to make.
I am grateful to Martin Baily, Mary O'Mahony, Bart van Ark and officials at the Scottish Office for helpful comments
This note is based on research which was originally financed by the Scottish Office and Scottish Enterprise, to whom I owe thanks (Oulton 1993). None of these is responsible for the conclusions and any errors, which remain my own.