What’s The Matter With Productivity?

Check out the accompanying pdf and chart collection. Executive Summary: We aren’t giving up on our “Roaring 2020s” scenario. The idea is that labor shortages should trigger capital spending on technology that boosts productivity. The pandemic derailed that train over the first three years of the decade, exacerbating the chronic labor shortage and temporarily squashing productivity growth. We expect productivity growth to resume during H2 and strengthen to peak around 3.5%-4.0% within the next few years. … Boosting this rosy scenario: US manufacturers are spending more on productivity-enhancing tech as they expand domestic production capacity—which should continue as they move out of China.