In this edition of Graphic Intelligence, we compare investment per worker in Canada and the U.S., by sector.
Capital investments boost Canada’s economy and its workers' output and productivity. Unfortunately, however, investments have dropped since mid-decade. The trouble in natural resource industries is a big part of the story as investment per worker in mining, oil and gas extraction has steadily declined since 2014.
That said, oil and gas extraction investment in Canada held up relatively well after 2014 when compared to the U.S. It is Canada’s per-worker investment in other sectors that has plummeted relative to the U.S., pushing down the total. In 2016, investment per worker in all sectors except the oil industry stood at only 57 cents per dollar invested in the United States, declining from 66 cents in 2010.
To learn more about Canada’s capital spending and its impact on Canada’s future prosperity, read “Tooling Up: Canada Needs More Robust Capital Investment,” by William B.P. Robson, Jeremy Kronick and Jacob Kim.
