A Comparison of GDP Per Capita in Canada and the United States from 1994 to 2005

This study examines differences in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita between Canada and the United States from 1994 to 2005. The gap in GDP per capita between the two countries has narrowed slightly over this period. The study decomposed the gap into two components: one due to labour productivity and one due to labour market conditions, and shows that the relative importance of the two changed considerably after 2000. The output gap has narrowed slightly since 2000, primarily because Canada's labour market experienced a faster rate of job growth relative to its population than did the United States