Total factor productivity growth in Singapore's manufacturing industries

Abstract

This paper contributes to the debate concerning the sources of growth of newly industrializing East Asian economies, of which Singapore is an example. We first of all measure Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth from industry level data for Singapore over a time series, and then regress the estimates to a list of variables. The TFP growth is estimated to be around 2–3% per annum over the last ten years, somewhat higher than previous estimates but remains a small fraction of the actual GDP growth. The variables found to have significant influence on TFP growth include foreign ownership, export orientation, and remuneration per employee. The result also suggests that Singapore has not gained much from learning-by-doing.