The second point is that there clearly has been a growing impetus toward raising productivity, due in part to labor shortages. As I noted earlier, investment that serves a positive purpose -such as that in efficiency-improving and labor-saving machinery and equipment, and in research and development for growth areas -- is expected to further rise, and this will likely contribute to improving productivity.
Moreover, it has become easier for firms to take advantage of such new information technologies as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).