The slowdown in global productivity – already underway before the last economic crisis – combined with sluggish investment, continued to undermine rises in economic output and material living standards in recent years in many of the world’s economies, according to a new report released by the OECD. In its latest Compendium of Productivity Indicators, the OECD also highlights a decoupling between productivity growth and higher real average wages in many countries, resulting in continued  declines in labour’s share of national income. The report claims that the contribution of labour utilisation (hours worked per capita) to GDP growth has risen markedly in a number of countries, notably in the United Kingdom and the United States. However, rises in labour utilisation reflect two opposing effects: higher employment rates but lower average hours per worker, which points to more part-time working, often in low productivity jobs.

More →

People ascribe less authority to male managers in jobs that are stereotypically associated with women, accoring to a study led by Professor Laura Doering of the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University and set to be published in the journal American Sociological Review. When men fill male-stereotyped roles, they experience high levels of authority. In female-stereotyped roles, they experience significantly less. By comparison, women experience similar levels of authority in male- and female-stereotyped roles. Professor Doering, together with Professor Sarah Thébaud of UC Santa Barbara, evaluated the repayments of clients at a bank to reach these conclusions. They began by evaluating missed payments when clients were paired with male or female managers. Doering says: “Overall, people were more likely to miss payments with female managers than male managers. This finding is consistent with previous research showing that people tend to afford more authority to male managers.”

More →