Each year, the Treasury and DTI publish an update of 'productivity and competitiveness indicators' to show the progress on the target which they are jointly pledged to deliver. This is:

Demonstrate progress by 2008 on the Government's long-term objective of raising the rate of UK productivity growth over the economic cycle, improving competitiveness and narrowing the productivity gap with our major industrial competitors.

The indicators are essentially statistics covering the five areas identified as drivers of productivity:

• Investment;
• Innovation;
• Skills;
• Enterprise and
• Competition.