Learn how to interpret GDP data, separate real growth from inflation, and use GDP releases in business, client, market, and financial decisions.
GDP is one of the most quoted economic indicators, but the headline number often hides the part that matters most. This course shows professionals how GDP is constructed, what it does and does not measure, and how to interpret GDP releases without overreading a single figure.
You will learn the three main approaches to GDP: production, expenditure, and income. The course also explains the difference between nominal and real GDP, why inflation matters, how GDP per capita changes the interpretation, and why GDP can be useful without being a complete measure of well-being.
The focus is practical. By the end, you will be able to read a GDP release more carefully, identify what is driving the number, understand common traps such as annualized rates and revisions, and connect GDP data to business conditions, policy decisions, financial markets, and client conversations.
Who Should Watch:
This course is designed for professionals who want a clearer way to read economic data in their work, with clients, or in their own financial decisions. It is especially relevant for accountants, lawyers, financial advisors, analysts, managers, business owners, and anyone who regularly sees GDP discussed in news, policy, markets, or planning decisions.
Associate Professor of Economics | King's University College at Western
Dr. Jason Dean is an economics professor and applied economist with experience teaching macroeconomics, microeconomics, labour economics, economic history, public policy, and applied economic topics to university, college, and professional audiences. He holds a PhD in Economics from McGill University, an MA in Economics from the University of Guelph, and an Honours BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. His academic work focuses on labour markets, immigration, housing, poverty, economic history, and public policy. He has also worked as a health economist and economic research analyst, bringing both academic and applied experience to his teaching. Jason has taught at King’s University College, Wilfrid Laurier University, Sheridan College, McMaster University Continuing Education, McGill University, Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan, Renmin University in Beijing, and Wuhan University of Technology. His courses are built to make economic ideas practical, clear, and useful for real decisions. His peer-reviewed research has appeared in journals including Regional Science and Urban Economics, Cliometrica, Journal of Housing Economics, IZA Journal of Development and Migration, Contemporary Jewry, Journal of International Migration and Integration, International Journal of Social Economics, and health economics journals. His policy work has been published through the Montreal Economic Institute, and he has provided media commentary on labour markets, housing, public policy, immigration, and the Canadian economy. Jason’s CPD courses help professionals understand how economic indicators, policy decisions, inflation, GDP, interest rates, labour markets, and consumer demand connect to business conditions, client decisions, financial planning, and the broader economy. Selected Publications: - “Income Decline, Financial Insecurity, Landlord Screening and Renter Mobility,” Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2022. - “The Linguistic Wage Gap in Québec, 1901 to 1951,” Cliometrica, 2022. - “Sexual Orientation and Homeownership in Canada,” Journal of Housing Economics, 2020. - “Does it Matter if Immigrants Work in Jobs Related to their Education?” IZA Journal of Development and Migration, 2018. - “Labour Market Attainment of Canadian Jews During the First Two Decades of the 20th Century,” Contemporary Jewry, 2017. - “Economic Integration of Pre-WWI Immigrants from the British Isles in the Canadian Labour Market,” Journal of International Migration and Integration, 2016. - “Religiosity and Female Labour Market Attainment in Canada: The Protestant Exception,” International Journal of Social Economics, 2016.
