Join us Monday, November 20, 2023, when John Fernald of INSEAD Business School joins us for “Productivity During and After the Pandemic.”

Lunch starting at 11:45am, with talk to follow 12-1pm. 

Abstract: This paper reviews how productivity has evolved around the world since the pandemic began in 2020. Productivity in many countries has been volatile. We conclude that the broad contours of productivity growth during this period have been heavily shaped by predictable cyclical patterns. Looking at U.S. industry data, we find little evidence that the sharp rise in telework has had a notable impact, good or bad, on productivity. Stepping back, the data so far appear consistent with a continuation of the slow-productivity-growth trajectory that we faced before the pandemic.

View working paper