Demand, employment, and labour productivity in the European economies

This paper presents an explanation of the causes of the slowdown in growth in labour productivity in European economies in recent decades. In first instance, the weakness of domestic demand is what determines this slowdown in productivity. However, differences with the (mediocre) rates of growth of productivity between European countries are also related to the specific features of their respective labour markets because, in a context of weak domestic demand, there is a trade-off between employment and productivity.