Dynamics of Communication Technologies and Labour Productivity Growth
in Canada

Chimezie Ebere Onyewuchi; Christopher Ifeanyi Ezekwe

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i07.010

Title: Dynamics of Communication Technologies and Labour Productivity Growth in Canada
Authors: Chimezie Ebere Onyewuchi and Christopher Ifeanyi Ezekwe
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 11 Issue: 7 Publication Date: July 2026 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i07.010
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Chimezie Ebere Onyewuchi1 and Christopher Ifeanyi Ezekwe2 1,2. Department of Economics, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
MLA 8 Onyewuchi, Chimezie Ebere, and Christopher Ifeanyi Ezekwe. "Dynamics of Communication Technologies and Labour Productivity Growth in Canada." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 11, no. 7, July 2026, pp. 3001-3018, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i07.010. Accessed July 2026. APA 6 Onyewuchi, C., & Ezekwe, C. (2026, July). Dynamics of Communication Technologies and Labour Productivity Growth in Canada. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 11(7), 3001-3018. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i07.010 Chicago Onyewuchi, Chimezie Ebere, and Christopher Ifeanyi Ezekwe. "Dynamics of Communication Technologies and Labour Productivity Growth in Canada." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 11, no. 7 (July 2026), 3001-3018. Accessed July, 2026. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i07.010.
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ABSTRACT: This study examines the contribution of communication technologies to labour productivity growth in Canada between 1990 and 2023. We decompose communication technologies into the components of information economics: landline phones, mobile phones, and internet subscriptions, and use GDP per hour worked to measure labour productivity. Time-series data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) database, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database were analysed using summary statistics, cointegration tests, the vector error correction model (VECM), and residual diagnostic tests. Summary statistics indicate that mobile phone subscriptions are the dominant means of communication, rising from about 75.5 per 100 people in 2010 to 94.14 per 100 people in 2023. This highlights the deepening digitalisation of the Canadian economy and its growing potential for economic prosperity. The VECM estimates indicate that a 1% increase in landline phone subscriptions is associated with a 0.065% increase in long-term labour productivity growth. Similarly, evidence of a significant positive effect of mobile phone subscriptions was established in both the long and short run. Specifically, a percentage increase in mobile phone subscriptions is associated with increases of 0.1003% and 0.203% in labour productivity growth in the long and short term, respectively. This finding highlights the potential of mobile connectivity to enhance labour productivity in Canada. However, the results showed that internet usage adversely affected labour productivity growth, which could be attributed to non-productive internet use, transitional and adjustment costs, and the non-specificity of productivity-based internet subscription data. Given the findings, we recommend increased government and private investment in mobile network infrastructure to provide reliable, affordable access to people, especially those in underserved areas, to sustain labour productivity growth.

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