The competitiveness of the UK aerospace industry

Abstract

The aerospace industry is often regarded as one of Britain's last remaining world class, high technology manufacturing industries and this paper assesses its international competitiveness. Various statistical indicators are used to measure competitiveness, based on published data at the industry and firm level, supplemented with information derived from company interviews. Indicators include productivity, output, firm size, development time-scales, labour hoarding, exports and profitability. The empirical results of this paper suggest that, over the period 1980-2000, the UK aerospace industry improved its competitiveness compared with the USA and the EU.