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Has Switzerland Really Been Marked by Low Productivity Growth? Hours Worked and Labor Productivity in Switzerland in a Long-run Perspective

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  • Michael Siegenthaler

Abstract

type="main"> This paper shows that previous work has understated Switzerland's performance in terms of labor productivity growth. First, available data on hours worked are incoherent and overestimate growth in hours worked. The paper therefore establishes a consistent series of total hours worked and its components covering 1950–2010, showing that Swiss labor inputs actually were stable from 1964 to 2007. Second, long-term improvements in Switzerland's Terms of Trade indicate that quality improvements in Swiss exports might not be fully mirrored in growth of GDP and, hence, productivity growth.

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  • Michael Siegenthaler, 2015. "Has Switzerland Really Been Marked by Low Productivity Growth? Hours Worked and Labor Productivity in Switzerland in a Long-run Perspective," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 61(2), pages 353-372, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revinw:v:61:y:2015:i:2:p:353-372
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    Cited by:

    1. Jean-Marie Grether & Benjamin Tissot-Daguette, 2021. "Zoom in, zoom out: A shift-share analysis of productivity in Switzerland based on micro data," IRENE Working Papers 21-10, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.
    2. Yannic Stucki & Jacqueline Thomet, 2021. "A neoclassical perspective on Switzerland’s 1990s stagnation," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 157(1), pages 1-26, December.
    3. Boris Kaiser & Michael Siegenthaler, 2016. "The Skill‐biased Effects of Exchange Rate Fluctuations," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 0(592), pages 756-780, May.

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