Total Factor Productivity in the Philippines

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The paper presents estimates of total factor productivity (TFP) from 1967 to 2000. It was observed that while TFP growth was mostly negative in the last thirty-five years, its contribution to economic growth improved consistently from – 1.76 percentage points in the middle of 1980s to +0.41 in 1998-2000. This is the period when major economic policy reforms were pursued vigorously. In spite of the increasing share of skilled labor to the total, its contribution to TFP growth is observed to have declined through time. This may imply deterioration in the quality of education necessary for productivity improvement. This may also imply the negative effects of brain drain as a result of massive Filipinos working abroad. Efficiency improvements seem to have been gained from the movement of labor out of agriculture. Sound macroeconomic fundamentals, and opening up to foreign trade and investment are two critical factors affecting TFP growth. Spill over effects are observed to be far significant from the growth in industry than in agriculture and service sectors.