I completely agree, we are becoming a more divided nation, and in more than one way. However those industries you refer to disappeared long ago. I’m 49, and they were dead when I started work. So they disappeared at least 2 generations ago IMO. And while all of those industries offered some for progression, a hierarchy and some well paid jobs, the majority were poorly paid, and involved working in shocking conditions with little chance of progression. I reckon, though have no numbers to support it, that there are far more ‘white collar’ jobs than there were when the mines and the mills were at full tilt. IT, services, banking, finance, legal, teaching, supply chain, marketing, sales etc etc employ millions. But the issue is fewer manual jobs and, as you say, the geographic (it’s more nuanced than North / South I think) polarisation. I’m also not sure ‘austerity’ has had a massive impact, since we’ve still been importing a lot of labour from outside the U.K. to get work done, and until covid unemployment was to all intents and purposes non existent in many parts of the country.
The huge rise in services has, or at least should have filled the gap in some areas, though almost certainly not with the same skills required. But mainly where the rise in white collar jobs drives demand. It doesn’t mean no skills though, just different. As an example, a recently opened Costa drive-thru in Chichester always has a queue. So plenty of demand. That store needed planning and funding, and to be designed, built, electrically and mechanically fitted-out, supply chain, managed and staffed by people. Doe those jobs pay as well? Maybe, maybe not. But at a ‘manual labour’ level groundworks, building, fabrication, electrical, plumbing etc etc are all pretty well paid. And these things are popping up everywhere, and have done for 20 years. Even on the bottom rung the local Amazon distribution centre pays £10.70 an hour, time and a half over 40 hours and double time over 50. So money can be earned. But it’s hard work I am sure. Harder than working in a mill or a mine? Probably not...
What has also changed is the certainty of employment contracts, but unless employed by the government that’s true for the whole country I’m afraid and is not a new thing. It’s existed my whole career, and I never had any expectation of a job for life. Indeed, because of that I’m in a position now where I have a choice. Tony Blair famously promised in 1995 (a generation ago...) to get rid of zero hour contracts, but failed to do so in 13 years in power. In fact, he went on to say he wanted to retain the flexibility they offered. As do businesses. But there is a better way, and that’s to use them for the truly flexible bit of labour demand, to cope with weekly/monthly/seasonal fluctuations. The large business I work with down here have to use them that way, because if employers relied on zero hours contracts only they’d not have staff when they needed them, as demand > supply (a situation that will get worse post BREXIT I’m sure, but that will then either lead to increased automation and/or higher wages).
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 11 Nov 20 at 09:30
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