Productivity changes in the European Union : structural and competitive aspects

There are many factors influencing the level and changes of the labour productivity. One of the useful methods of identifying these factors is shift-share approach. It makes it possible to determine if the sectoral structure or the level of competitiveness of the economy affects the dynamics and differentiation of labour productivity. The research concerned countries of the European Union, covered the period of 1999-2006 and was conducted for six main economic sectors. All examined countries were characterized by constant growth of labour productivity which was mainly caused by the increasing productivity in market financial services. The basic reason of productivity diversification was a country’s competitiveness. The positive relation between sectoral structure and regional component also occurred.