Britain’s manufacturing sector is now a much smaller part of the economy than it was 60 years ago. The sector now accounts for just 10% of GDP, compared with the services sector which makes up about 75%. Here are four facts about the UK manufacturing industry, published by the Office for National Statistics.
Manufacturing jobs fell sharply from 1978
In 1978, 25% of UK jobs were in the manufacturing sector. By 2014, only 8% of jobs were in manufacturing. However, the ONS points out that while manufacturing jobs have been falling, productivity in the sector has been rising.
The north-west is the UK manufacturing base
The north-west contributed the most to UK manufacturing turnover in 2012, with 14.1%. The ONS said the region’s dominance might be explained by its wide range of industries, such as making cars and trailers, chemicals, and electrical equipment. The area with the smallest contribution in 2012 was Northern Ireland, at 3.4%.
The US is the biggest importer of UK-made goods
The US imported £32.2bn of UK manufactured goods in 2013, more than any other country. Germany ranked second, importing £24.7bn of goods from Britain, and France was third at £15.6bn.
Manufacturing accounts for most business R&D spending in the UK
Businesses spent £12.2bn – 72% of the total – on research and development (R&D) in the UK in 2012. Spending in the chemicals sector was the largest at £4.8bn, or 39% of the total. Spending on R&D in the services sector was a much smaller proportion, at 25% of the total, despite the sector accounting for around three quarters of GDP.
