View Full Version : Real Work in the U.K.
Do more of UK workforce actually produced a product worth buying or do they just work in offices pushing paper around.
Angel...
No, not paper pushing. Get with the times, it's all electronic now.
They work in an office where they have a meeting about forming a plan to move forward. Followed by a follow up meeting.
Eventually they'll start sending emails to each other, normally the person sat next to them or opposite them.
Just to be sure that the email actually follows policy, protocol and comply with Health & Safety they will print out said email and then go and photocopy the email in triplicate, and a few more copies for the boss an the bosses tea boy.
After which they will be entitled to a 15 minute break, so 45 minutes later they'll finish their break and deliver the various copies of the email to the irrelevant persons that came to the original meeting to avoid doing any work in the first place.
Do more of UK workforce actually produced a product worth buying or do they just work in offices pushing paper around.
Angel...
I take it you don't work in an office? What do you define as real work?
No, not paper pushing. Get with the times, it's all electronic now.
They work in an office where they have a meeting about forming a plan to move forward. Followed by a follow up meeting.
Eventually they'll start sending emails to each other, normally the person sat next to them or opposite them.
Just to be sure that the email actually follows policy, protocol and comply with Health & Safety they will print out said email and then go and photocopy the email in triplicate, and a few more copies for the boss an the bosses tea boy.
After which they will be entitled to a 15 minute break, so 45 minutes later they'll finish their break and deliver the various copies of the email to the irrelevant persons that came to the original meeting to avoid doing any work in the first place.
Get with the times, you aren't allowed to print emails now.
The UK is the 10th largest exporter in the world, but by head of capita we're somewhere in the high 30's.
Although we're still a significant exporter, I think the days of leading the world in manufacture are gone.
Bill Fernie
09-Aug-11, 08:37
There is myth that has been allowed to go around for many years that UK has hardly any manufacturing. It is simply not true. Things have changed and we do not have the amount of heavy industry we once had. But UK is still about number 6 in the world. See http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2011/01/04/top-15-manufacturing-countries-in-2009/ I am sure there will be more up to date figures but don't have time right now to find them. If you take the size of our population compared to the others then you might think we are still punching to a very highlevel. It all depends on your criteria. My main contention is that UK has much more manufacturing than many people seem to think although the nature of it has changed over the years as we have adapted to the market.
weezer 316
09-Aug-11, 08:49
Angel,
More to the point, does the UK have anyone willing to pay the prices for british made goods when you can get the same thing from china at half the price? Without the demand we clearly wont make much.
orkneycadian
09-Aug-11, 10:21
In this day and age when everyone would rather shop at Tesco and fall for their loss leaders, than they would support their local shop? Your havin a laff now!
The UK economy is predominantly a service one now, rather than a manufacturing one. I can only ever see that becoming more biased towards services, as more and more of the buying choice comes down to who is cheapest, rather than who will support most UK jobs.
k1rst1n27
09-Aug-11, 22:02
This made me lol, I work in an office and certainly don't just push paper around all day! Luckily for me office jobs are necessary...i'd be totally useless in any type of manufacturing/production line type job! I think we have a lot of skilled trades in the UK as well as the gas and oil industry so I don't think office jobs would be the top indutry in the UK at all.
orkneycadian
10-Aug-11, 21:07
Struggling to find any jobs in this top 100....
http://www.mysalary.co.uk/most-common-jobs.php
That could be directly attributable to making anything!
(http://www.mysalary.co.uk/most-common-jobs.php)
Struggling to find any jobs in this top 100....
http://www.mysalary.co.uk/most-common-jobs.php
That could be directly attributable to making anything!
(http://www.mysalary.co.uk/most-common-jobs.php)
They make money orky, they make money
oldmarine
11-Aug-11, 05:29
There is myth that has been allowed to go around for many years that UK has hardly any manufacturing. It is simply not true. Things have changed and we do not have the amount of heavy industry we once had. But UK is still about number 6 in the world. See http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2011/01/04/top-15-manufacturing-countries-in-2009/ I am sure there will be more up to date figures but don't have time right now to find them. If you take the size of our population compared to the others then you might think we are still punching to a very highlevel. It all depends on your criteria. My main contention is that UK has much more manufacturing than many people seem to think although the nature of it has changed over the years as we have adapted to the market.
From the graph I just viewed it appears that GB & China are among the leaders of manufacturing. As I expected the USA has fallen way down. With China holding most of the USA debt and GB second, the USA has lost most of its manufacturing to overseas companies.
There is nothing wrong with making money without all the trouble and tedium of actually having to make anything.
Unless you are a banker of course. :lol:
With regard to manufacturing, the country has had to move on, what is the use of making things that can be made else where by emerging economies at a much lesser price?
This means that The UK manufacturing has had to become much more specialised which it has done with great success but now the problem is finding workers with the necessary skills.
Surprisingly we are still world leaders in many fields .
The high visibility of steel works,mining etc which have largely passed into history gives the impression that manufacturing has all but gone, fortunately this is not the case.
toffee_pie
11-Aug-11, 11:44
?
The Uk has lots of high paid jobs in Engineering, such as Electronics, ASIC design, IC design and so on as well as programming for games and 3d animation.
what a weird question? London is a huge financial hub also, along the lines of Frankfurt with many high paid legal eagles and lawsuit firms.
several hotspots for high tech electronics in and around cambridge and the west midlands.
toffee_pie
11-Aug-11, 11:45
many manufacturing is outsourced same as in Ireland.
the only work left is for skilled engineers in many cases, ie fabless semiconductor design.
ARM in sheffield for example.
toffee_pie
11-Aug-11, 11:47
yeah pretty much what i was thinking.
some people just dont see outside the box.
There are many intellectual products produced by people in offices: designs, software, artwork, plans, games. I'm rather annoyed with the dismissive attitude some people have.
There are many intellectual products produced by people in offices: designs, software, artwork, plans, games. I'm rather annoyed with the dismissive attitude some people have.
I'm rather annoyed too. Some people just communicate ideas and make money.
J C Denton
12-Aug-11, 16:06
Most stuff produced in this country is over-priced rubbish that falls apart/melts/self combusts/turns on its human master two months after buying it. Seriously, does anyone see "Made in Britain" as a hallmark of quality any more?
orkneycadian
12-Aug-11, 18:25
I don't think I see anything "Made in Britain" anymore....
I don't think I see anything "Made in Britain" anymore....
orkneycadians :cool:
orkneycadian
12-Aug-11, 18:51
Made in Britain? Nah - I was born before 1468! :)
captain chaos
13-Aug-11, 21:06
My Honda CR-V is Made in Britain and is also exported all over the world.
More than happy to buy British
John Little
13-Aug-11, 21:44
http://www.buybritish.com/
Ta for the link john I havent had tizer in ages ... now I want a can...now!
But seriously now what about the battery factory and osprey as well as the pipeline from subsea as local manufacturing places?
They dont only cater for internal work but tender for work outwith the UK!
But seriously now what about the battery factory and osprey as well as the pipeline from subsea as local manufacturing places?
They dont only cater for internal work but tender for work outwith the UK!
You're right in many ways.
But I think the sad thing for those in the traditional "big engineering" industries is that these pipelines are being connected to platforms built in Cadiz, Singapore and Rotterdam, not Nigg, Ardersier or Ardine point as they were in the past.
oldmarine
14-Aug-11, 16:17
http://www.buybritish.com/
A good post John.
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.