Convergence of Labour Productivity in Agriculture in the European Union

The aim of the paper is to assess changes in labour efficiency in the EU Member States. It was assumed that convergence is taking place in labour efficiency in agriculture between the "old" and the "new" EU Member States. The analysis covers the years 1998-2011. It has been found that there are large differences in labour productivity in agriculture among various countries. However, two groups of countries with different labour efficiency may be distinguished. The first group includes the old EU Member States, the second - the new ones. Countries with lower initial labour efficiency showed a higher average growth rate but absolute growths were lower there. No beta-convergence or sigma-convergence has been found with respect to labour efficiency in agriculture and the division into two groups has persisted. The most important factors limiting the occurrence of convergence are connected with farm structure and the number of agricultural workers.