Who's "we" and why should they care about GDP growth? Surely not normal people. I don't care about GDP growth. "GDP growth" means someone already rich is getting richer. Why should normal people care about productivity gains? To most of us, "productivity gains" means my company can lay me off now because Sally can do the work of both of us. Where is this labor shortage? You say labor shortage, I say companies refusing to pay enough for labor, then complaining they can't find workers.