ABSTRACT Technical efficiency is the ability of a firm to produce its maximum output using a set of inputs or to minimise the use of its inputs to produce a certain level of output. When a firm is operating at its most efficient, operating costs can be minimised, profits maximised and competitiveness improved. This study investigates the role of a firm’s human capital in impacting its technical efficiency. It uses the Productivity, Technology, Innovation survey (PROTEqIN) conducted for a sample of 13 Caribbean countries in 2014 and comprises 1,966 firms. To account for differences in efficiency of firms, a Stochastic Frontier Analysis is used to estimate the production function as well as technical efficiency scores. The efficiency scores are then regressed against workforce characteristics and other firm-specific control variables using a Tobit estimator with robust standard errors. The results suggest that workforce characteristics, in particular workforce composition in terms of the proportion of managers to total workforce and graduate and post-graduate education play an important role in influencing firm efficiency, perhaps more so than other firm-specific variables. Lastly, government technical assistance programmes in the Caribbean also act to improve firm technical efficiency.

中文翻译：

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人力资本和技术效率：加勒比企业的随机前沿分析

摘要技术效率是企业使用一组投入产生最大产出或最小化其投入产生一定水平产出的能力。当一家公司以其最高效率运作时，其运营成本可以降到最低，利润最大化，竞争力也可以提高。这项研究调查了公司的人力资本在影响其技术效率中的作用。它使用了2014年对13个加勒比海国家进行的生产率，技术，创新调查（PROTEqIN），其中包括1,966家公司。为了说明企业效率的差异，使用了随机前沿分析来估计生产功能以及技术效率得分。然后，使用具有鲁棒标准误差的Tobit估算器，针对劳动力特征和其他公司特定的控制变量对效率得分进行回归。结果表明，劳动力特征，特别是在经理占总劳动力的比例以及研究生和研究生学历方面的劳动力组成，在影响公司效率方面起着重要作用，也许比其他公司特定变量更重要。最后，加勒比地区的政府技术援助计划也可以提高公司的技术效率。也许比其他公司特定的变量更重要。最后，加勒比地区的政府技术援助计划也可以提高公司的技术效率。也许比其他公司特定的变量更重要。最后，加勒比地区的政府技术援助计划也可以提高公司的技术效率。