Cross-country comparisons of productivity are invariably difficult because of differences in methodology. Output and inputs are not always measured in the same way. Comparisons based on labor productivity are the most straightforward. Both statistics Canada and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics report a labor productivity measure for the business sector. In Canada, this calculation excludes a large portion of both health and education sectors; in the United States, it is primarily the public education sector that is exclude

The U.S. has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $36,300. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The years 1994-2000 witnessed solid increases in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment to below 5%. The year 2001 witnessed the end of the boom psychology and performance, with output increasing only 0.3% and unemployment and business failures rising substantially. The response to the terrorist attacks of September 11 showed the remarkable resilience of the economy. Moderate recovery is expected in 2002, with the GDP growth rate rising to 2.5% or more. A major short-term problem in the first half of 2002 was a sharp decline in the stock market, fueled in art by the exposure of dubious accounting practices in some major corporations. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups.

Nevertheless, with its great natural resources, skil

Some topics in this essay:
Canadian GDP, Canada United, English French, Agreement NAFTA, Labor Statistics, War II, labor productivity, Agreement FTA, productivity growth, canadian economy, , Trade Agreement, Free Trade, real growth averaged, canadian economy real, real growth, economy real, gdp capita, impact canadian, 2001 negative, economic downturn, negative impact canadian, impact canadian economy, downturn united, economy real growth,