The various concepts of productivity are perplexing abstractions for the public. Yet ultimately a country’s prosperity relies on sustained productivity growth, as is best visible in those countries where the productivity ‘machine’ has failed, and poverty and disadvantage remain people’s typical lot.

Births in Australia are at an historical high – with around 285 000 babies born in 2007. This corresponds to an estimated total fertility rate of 1.93 babies per woman, the highest since the early 1980s. This is not a one-off event as fertility rates have been generally rising for the last 6 years. Overall...

This staff working paper is part of a stream of Productivity Commission research focused on labour participation issues, which commenced with the Commission's study for CoAG on the Economic Implications of an Ageing Australia (8408).

This paper examines the comparability of international workforce participation rates and seeks to better understand the magnitude of the gap between Australia's workforce participation rates and those of other OECD countries.