This project relies on a large scale data collection effort, thanks to our partners in national institutions, academia and related OECD projects (LinkEED and Age Diversity) with access to rich linked employer-employee microdata for the universe of private sector companies. This allows us to document how the skill composition of the most productive firms – the “frontier” – differs from that of a typical firm; what managerial characteristics these top performers have; and how these patterns vary by sector in 10 countries over the period 2000-2018.
The human side of productivity
This GFP project which was launched in the context of the 2021 Annual Conference of the GFP co-organised by the G20 Italian Presidency, uncovered new evidence about the role of the skill and the demographic structure of firms and their relationship with productivity performance.
Context
Firms at the productivity frontier rely on more high skilled employees
Country-specific work from our partners on skills, managers and ownership
Belgium:
"The return on human (STEM) capital in Belgium"
By Gert Bijnens and Emmanuel Dhyne
France:
"A new approach to skills mismatch"
By Amandine Brun-Schammé and Martin Rey
Italy:
“Productivity and Human Capital - The Italian case"
By Camilla Andretta, Irene Brunetti and Anna Rosso
Portugal:
"Employee training and firm performance"
By Pedro S. Martins
"Financial distress and the role of management in micro and small-sized firms"
By Fernando Alexandre, Sara Cruz and Miguel Portela
Further reading
The green side of productivity: a harmonised classification of green and brown occupations, OECD Productivity Working Paper (May 2023)
The Human Side of Productivity:Uncovering the Role of Skills and Diversity for Firm Productivity, OECD Productivity Working Paper (December 2021)
The Human Side of Productivity: Uncovering the role of skills and diversity for firm productivity - Blog post on VoxEU (December 2021)
Catching up to the frontier through the Human Side of Productivity: the role of skills and diversity - Blog post on OECD’s Ecoscope blog (July 2021)
The Human Side of Productivity - Portuguese Economy Research Report (January 2022)
The Human Side of Productivity: Setting the Scene, Background Paper (June 2019)
The Human Side of Productivity, Flyer (2019)