International productivity figures call into question UK finger pointing on EU competitiveness

The latest productivity figures issued today by the Office for National Statistics show that the UK is in no better shape than the rest of Europe when it comes to competitiveness, according to, John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

John Philpott said:

ìTodayís figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that the UK continues to lag behind the United States and France, and is equal with Germany, in the productivity league table puts into perspective recent criticism of Europeís ability to compete with China.

ìFollowing the recent ëBra Warsí debacle, many UK commentators have been pointing the finger at European manufacturers, accusing them of supporting protectionism instead of taking steps to move upmarket and compete with the Chinese on quality rather than price. However, as todayís productivity comparisons make clear, the UK is in no position to preach on this issue.

ìThe EU should indeed embrace free trade and eschew protectionism. But the UK is in no better shape than the rest of Europe when it comes to competitiveness. All of Europe needs to raise its game, in particular by improving people management, and the UK needs to make more progress than most. ì