Productivity Statistics: 1980–2008

Istat releases productivity statistics for the period 1980-2008. The productivity series are coherent with the results of the latest release of national accounts.

The adopted methodology closely follow the approach outlined in the OECD Manual 2 on Productivity Measurement. Productivity is defined as a ratio of a volume measure of output to a volume measure of input. There can be either single factor productivity measures (relating a measure of output to a single measure of input) or multifactor productivity measures ((relating a measure of output to a bundle of inputs). Productivity measures can be distinguished also according to the output measure used (gross output or value added).

The official series all use value added as the output measure and hours worked as labour input measure. The series are produced for labour productivity and total factor productivity. Data refer to 28 sectors corresponding to the sub-sections of NACE Rev.1 classification for mining and manufacturing industries and to the sections for the other sectors, with the exclusion of Private households with employed persons (section P) and Letting of own property (group 70.2), and the Public administration institutional sector. Aggregate data are consistent with industry-level data.

Contact person:
Massimiliano Iommi
Istat – National Institute of Statistics
Directorate of National Accounts
Via A. Depretis, 74/b, 00184 Rome, Italy
Phone: +39 06 46733161
e-mail: iommi@istat.it