In this article, we develop a new longitudinal dataset for Canada based on the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) methodology. The NTA constitute a micro–macro linkage methodology that provides a complete picture of economic flows by age and measures the way in which individuals produce, consume, save, and share resources at each age on a retrospective basis. In this article, we introduce the NTA and evidence their link with micro–macro methodologies. Then, we provide for the first time individual age consumption and labour income profiles in Canada for the period between 1998 and 2013. The longitudinal dimension of the study sheds light on how the gap between consumption and labour income has changed over that period and raises questions about the future of living standards in Canada.

International audienceWe use the National Transfer Accounts methodology to calculate the lifecycle deficit in France for the years 1979–2005. During this period, consumption profiles were roughly constant over age, while labor income profiles shifted to higher ages. The share of the aggregate lifecycle deficit in GDP rose sharply in the 1980s due to an increase in the mean age of the population. In contrast, the per capita shares of the lifecycle deficit attributed to the population under 20 and over 60 varied little during this period, even though the relative weights of these two age-segments has shifted continuously in favor of the latter

La crise économique débutée en 2008 a conduit à une raréfaction de l’épargne mondiale, tandis que les pays développés et les pays émergents ont d’importants besoins en investissements de long terme. En France, trois axes regroupent l’essentiel des besoins : l’insertion des jeunes sur le marché du travail et le financement de leurs projets entrepreneuriaux, le soutien aux PME innovantes et les grandes innovations technologiques. Or, la France subit également un choc démographique qui se superpose aux perturbations économiques. Le vieillissement démographique va accentuer la rareté de l’épargne et mobiliser des investissements de long terme spécifiques aux seniors et aux personnes âgées. Les bouleversements économiques et démographiques nécessiteront donc de mettre en œuvre une fiscalité audacieuse et de développer un partage des risques entre la collectivité et les entreprises favorables à l’épargne et aux investissements de long terme. Classification JEL : E21, E22, J11, O38.

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We use the National Transfer Accounts methodology to calculate private asset income by age for the years 1979-2011. We analyze age profiles using three indicators of intergenerational equity. Monetary asset income shows no evidence of generational breaks to the benefit of the baby-boom generation. On the contrary, baby-boomers suffered from the high interest rates that they paid to become homeowners. Imputed rents show an obvious breakdown of intergenerational equity when we use an inter-age and intergenerational indicator. This indicator compares the per capita asset income at a given age with the average asset income of people aged 18-85. It gives the relative situation of one age group compared to its contemporaries and it also gives the relative situation of one generation when we compare birth cohorts over time. We find that the cohort born in 1950 benefited from a better position than their successors. Moreover, the cohorts born before the war and during the war appear to be even more favored than the baby-boomers. The cohorts born in 1930 and in 1940 have a better situation than the previous generations and a better position than the following generations.