In-Firm Training, Innovation and Productivity: The Case of Caribbean Small Island Developing States

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Date issued
Mar 2017
Subject
Productivity Growth;
Exporting Firm;
Labor Force;
Labor Market;
Educational Level;
Exponential Technology;
Firm Performance;
Knowledge Creation
JEL code
D22 - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis;
J24 - Human Capital • Skills • Occupational Choice • Labor Productivity;
M53 - Training
Country
Belize;
Guyana;
Suriname;
Bahamas;
Jamaica;
Trinidad and Tobago;
Barbados;
Dominican Republic
Category
Working Papers
In-firm training is a crucial innovative activity in modern knowledge-based economies which face increasing global competition and rapidly changing technology. Nevertheless, there are few studies which look at in-firm training in the Caribbean. This study uses the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) 2010 and Compete Caribbean's Productivity Technology Innovation Survey (PROTEqIN) 2014 to provide empirical evidence on in-firm training in the region. The results suggest that there is a relatively low incidence of training in the region, although there are significant differences across countries and this may be because of heterogeneities in public support and barriers to in-firm training. Also, various firm characteristics affect in-firm training, including size, ownership, whether the firm exports, whether the firm is part of a larger organization, innovative activity and workforce structure and educational level. Lastly, the findings suggest that in-firm training in the region may play a relatively small role and may not even matter for innovation and productivity.
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