Manufacturing sector ‘haemorrhaging’ jobs as more than 600,000 go in a decade

That is according to new data by trade union GMB, which reveals £11.3 billion less has been paid in manufacturing wages in “real-terms” between 2006 and 2016.

According to the data, in 2006 the UK supported 3.5 million permanent and temporary manufacturing jobs – which equated to more than 12% of employment in Britain. By 2016, that figure had dropped to just 2.9 million, or 9.3% of the total, GMB said.

If this sad decline is not addressed then post-Brexit Britain and the next generation will surely pay the price

GMB national secretary Jude Brimble

The trade union’s national secretary Jude Brimble said the UK was “haemorrhaging manufacturing jobs – and that is a massive problem for both our workers and our economy”.

Brimble said: “We should cherish our manufacturing sector, but instead successive governments have driven it into the ground through a lack of investment and tendering processes that hamper our home-grown businesses.

“Whoever wins the next election must develop a procurement strategy supporting UK industry, build strong British supply chains and a balanced energy policy to keep our country’s lights on. If this sad decline is not addressed then post-Brexit Britain and the next generation will surely pay the price.”

The data, which was published as part of GMB’s 100th annual conference, shows every region in the UK has experienced a decline in manufacturing employment since 2006.

Two regions that have been particularly affected – Scotland and the North East – have lost 22% of manufacturing jobs. The worst affected region – the West Midlands – has lost almost 100,000 manufacturing jobs.