Productivity statistics are vital to assess current economic performance, make projections for the future, and compare achievements with targets. Methods and techniques for productivity analysis and internationally comparable data are evolving fast, and it is crucial for public managers and policymakers to be able to use them effectively for evidence-based policy making and monitoring the status of economies.

To promote productivity and thus boost living standards in the long term, public policies need an economy-wide frame of reference and linkages to sound statistics. Productivity statistics gather information from multiple domains to describe the efficiency with which an economy is able to turn economic inputs into outputs. Those statistics are important tools in economic planning and policy making. The APO has been striving to measure productivity in its members and provide comparative analytical reports, e.g., the APO Productivity Databook series. Methods and techniques used to compile productivity data and analyze them have been continuously evolving to derive helpful insights.

This course will help participants understand how to use productivity statistics in policy making to advance national productivity agendas over time.

Course Objectives

The main objectives of this course are:

•     Introduce key productivity concepts and measurement approaches.
•     Learn how productivity statistics are used to derive vital information for monitoring economic performance and policy making.
•     Understand the effective use of productivity data and statistics in policy analysis and economic activity monitoring.

This e-learning course will cover the following modules:

Module 1:  What is productivity and why is it important?
Module 2:  How to measure productivity.
Module 3:  What explains productivity growth in an economy?
Module 4:  Analyzing productivity performance in an economy.
Module 5:  Data and statistics in evidence-based policy making for productivity.

Important Notes:

    1) Participants who register to take this course and pass the final examination with a score of 70% or higher will be eligible to receive the APO certificate. Please note that the final examination can be taken only once. Therefore, the most appropriate time to take the examination should be chosen carefully. The self-assessment quizzes are for personal evaluation only and are not related to the final examination results.
    2) Participants who perform well in this course and receive the APO certificate will be given preference, on a merit basis, for selection to attend follow-up face-to-face multicountry APO projects on similar topics, when nominated by their NPOs and if slots are available.
    3) Notes 1 and 2 are applicable only to participants from APO member countries. Participants from nonmember countries are welcome to take the course for self-improvement, although they will not have an opportunity to attend the follow-up face-to-face multicountry APO projects.
    4) Each module is in a prerecorded video format in which the expert delivers presentations by explaining each slide. Participants can access the video by clicking on the link provided under the title of each module.