Labour productivity by enterprise size class is measured as gross value added in current prices per person employed. Labour input is measured as total employment, which includes employees and all other paid or unpaid persons who worked for the concerned unit during the reference year. Data on hours worked by all persons employed are typically not available by enterprise size class.
Value added estimates and total employment for different enterprise size classes are sourced from OECD Structural and Demographic Business Statistics (database) and will typically not align with estimates in national accounts. The latter include a number of adjustments to reflect businesses and activities that may not be covered in structural business statistics, such as those made to reflect the non-observed economy. Since labour input is measured as total employment, the cross-country comparability of labour productivity measures by size class may be affected by differences in the share of part-time employment. In addition, productivity differences in main aggregate sectors could mask different productivity patterns in more narrowly defined industries.
In the OECD Structural and Demographic Business Statistics (database), the “business economy” covers mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, construction and business services (excluding finance and insurance activities). Business services include wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; accommodation and food services; information and communication services; real estate activities; and professional, scientific, administrative and support activities.