The patchwork economy
Globalisation should work for people, not vice versa
Frances O’Grady
For decades, Britain has been crying out for an industrial strategy. Our infrastructure is poor, our workforce lacks the skills we need, inequality has soared, and wages have stagnated for a decade.
Globalisation has brought prosperity for some, but many others have seen wellpaid, skilled jobs disappear. They have felt abandoned by successive governments, as they watched infrastructure investment flow into London and a few other urban centres.
Regional inequalities are not inevitable, but the result of an economy that has overcentralised power, and deprived communities of investment. Many towns simply do not have the power and cash to create good quality jobs close to home.
Now that an industrial strategy is finally on the table, its aim must be to encourage the creation of jobs where they are needed most. Stronger growth and productivity for the UK as a whole is not good enough if it means that some parts of the nation are simply left behind.