Productivity

In the Trump and China era, South Korea must move beyond export-led growth. Scaling up small firms and boosting productivity in services must be national imperatives.

A survey conducted in November 2024 finds that 20.5 percent of workers who used generative AI at least once over the previous week reported saving four hours or more in work time.

Japan is facing a demographic crisis, with a population aging faster than any other in the world. 3D printing offers a solution, enabling Japan to modernize its aging infrastructure and build new developments despite its shrinking labor force.

Sejin Kim speaks on how generative AI is unlocking new business models, why the U.S. ecosystem moves so quickly, and how Korea can position itself as a world-class builder of AI-native applications.

A study by the Federal Reserve Board shows that despite significantly increased costs for higher education and housing, average household income for Millennials grew 18 percent compared to Generation X.

If the U.S. wants to unlock the full potential of its small business sector, widespread AI adoption must become a policy priority. With targeted support, AI can become a powerful tool for enhancing productivity and strengthening U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.

Policymakers should not attempt to reallocate innovative resources from large to small firms. Instead, Congress should pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 and expand the R&D tax credit. These measures will incentivize firms of all sizes to continue investing in productivity-enhancing and socially valuable R&D.

Construction labor productivity has significantly declined, falling 40 percent from 1970 to 2000, even as productivity in other industries, such as manufacturing, has grown.

The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has aggressively downsized the federal workforce. To maintain essential services with fewer staff, the administration must embrace digital transformation, leveraging AI, automation, and self-service portals to improve efficiency and modernize government operations.

A study found that countries with the highest robot density will see accelerated economic growth from robot adoption and will also see heightened robot accumulation in the future.