Productivity

Productivity is a measure of how efficiently production inputs are being used within the economy to produce output. Growth in productivity is a key determinant in improving a nation's long-term material standard of living. Since 2006, Statistics NZ has published official productivity statistics for the 'measured sector' of the economy. The measured sector covers approximately 80 percent of the economy but excludes government administration and defence, health, education, and owner-occupied dwellings. An annual time series dates back to 1978 and is split into business cycles, as productivity is best analysed over a long time frame.

Information releases

• Productivity Statistics – information releases   

Data

Productivity data comes from a range of already-existing sources, including GDP, capital stock, and various Statistics NZ labour market datasets.

Time series data can be accessed from the Infoshare database and Table Builder.

Information papers and publications

• Experimental estimates of unit labour costs: 1996–2010
• Economic Development Indicators: 2011
• Property services productivity: 1996–2009
• Productivity statistics: Sources and methods (Seventh edition)      
• View all 

Frequently asked questions

• Want an overview of what productivity means? See our general productivity FAQ section.
• Interested in learning which parts of the economy productivity statistics cover? Visit the data coverage section.
• Trying to understand how our productivity series can be compared with those of other countries? Check out the section on international comparisons.
• Looking for how outouts relate to inputs? Explore the production and multifactor productivity section.
• View all frequently asked questions about productivity

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