Survival strategies

摘要

Many people feel that the death knell has sounded for British manufacturing. And some grisly headline statistics would appear to confirm their belief. Manufacturing now accounts for less than 15% of the economy's output, while employment in the sector is set to fall below the three million mark. Indeed, with 100,000 manufacturing jobs being lost each year, the T&G trade union has warned that 2029 will be "year zero", when the sector is totally wiped out. But some experts think that, if you take a more considered look at the figures, things might not be as bad as they seem. Stephen Radley, chief economist at the manufacturers' organisation the EEF, insists that, while times have undoubtedly been hard, the end of manufacturing is by no means in sight.