The programme, being carried out by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, kicks off with a webinar for manufacturers and those who work closely with the sector on 10 May.
On the webinar, EEF will report on its initial comparisons of the performance of different subsectors within industry against each other domestically, and compared to major international competitors.
It will also report on factors that might explain why some do better than others and why some sectors in the UK perform better or worse than their major competitors.
Participants will then be invited to share specific insights to challenge or enhance EEF’s assessment, with feedback used to inform the second part of EEF’s work through to the Autumn Budget.
This will enable EEF to put forward policy recommendations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Business Secretary with the aim of building momentum for the Industrial Strategy and getting manufacturing productivity growth back on trend.
Says EEF chief economist Lee Hopley (pictured): “Concerns about the UK’s productivity performance aren’t confined to economists and policy makers, we know this matters to businesses too and particularly innovative, export-focused manufacturers. With a long track record of making a strong positive contribution to the UK’s overall productivity performance, we attach a high importance to getting manufacturing productivity improvements back on trend after the disappointing decade we’ve experienced since the financial crisis.
“In order to do this industry and government need to understand where the pain points are and which levers we can pull to get results. This is what EEF’s latest research project is hoping to shed a lot more light on. Companies, business advisors and employees within manufacturing can help us get there by sharing best practice and highlighting the business environment challenges that are getting in the way of a productivity revival.”
You can register for the webinar at: https://bit.ly/2qiCHV9