‘Manufacturing – The Facts’ report reveals the UK’s manufacturing sector has climbed one place to eighth in the world rankings, overtaking France in the process. 

The fact card details a wide variety of data about the contribution of manufacturing to the economy including exports, sectoral breakdown, how the UK compares to other nations and salary levels. 

The sectors output was worth £224bn in 2022 - with six of the top ten export markets for UK goods remaining in the EU. Aerospace and Transport saw the largest growth in exports and increased by 27.9%, highlighting the subsectors significance to the economy. 

Contrary to popular opinion, manufacturing jobs are better paid than both services and the economy overall. The average salary in manufacturing was £36,488, which is almost 10% higher than the economy average of £33,402 and £32,676 for services. 

The North West remains the biggest manufacturing area of the UK, worth £28.2bn in output and employing 314,000 people. The sector accounts for almost 15% of North West economic output and 8% of regional employment.