That inevitably means that manufacturing in the UK employs fewer people. Technology, machines and high-skilled workers – not manual labour - are at the centre of the industries where we can now prosper and succeed in world markets. The share of the workforce employed by British manufacturers was around 30pc-35pc throughout the 19th century and continued around the same level until the 1960s. But from then on, there has been a steady decline. About 8pc of UK jobs are now in the manufacturing industry – but we are now much more productive and efficient. UK manufacturing exports last year totalled £224bn – about £8,400 for every household in the country.