Friday 29 February 2008

Alex Smiles

It's time for my wee survey again. Here's the last one.

My contention is that the UK's government is centralised way beyond what's typical in similar countries. That in turn means that most of the top private sector jobs are in the South East, not because of market forces but as an inevitable response to where big government is located. From that follows our inability to sort out transport and urban sprawl. The figures are from the current issue of Chartered Secretary.

London: population share 12.2%; job share 56.7%
Southeast: population share 13.6%; job share 24.4%
East: population share 9.2%; job share 3.3%
Southwest: population share 8.4%; job share 1.1%
West Midlands: population share 9%; job share 1.1%
East Midlands: population share 7.1%; job share 4.5%
Wales: population share 4.9%; job share NIL
Yorkshire: population share 8.4%; job share 1.1%
Northwest: population share 11.4%; job share NIL
Northeast: population share 4.3%; job share 3.3%
Scotland: population share 8.6%; job share 4.5%
Northern Ireland: population share 2.9%; job share NIL

So London and the Southeast with 25.8% of the UK's population have 81% of these pretty high-powered jobs.

As I wrote back in 2002:

If we want to see a more economically balanced Britain we can either reduce government expenditure to, say, 10% of GDP, or we can spread government more evenly throughout the country. I support the first option. I suspect that neither will be implemented.
No wonder Alex Salmond is smiling.

1 comment:

David Farrer said...

Comments from previous template:

Gordon
(That should read - looks like)

8 April 2008, 15:53:28 GMT+01:00
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Gordon
It likes like the first Northwest England Independence party has a serious mandate.

8 April 2008, 15:30:22 GMT+01:00
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Neil Craig
I have 2 sisters there 1 of whom is something senior in British Gas & the other in design which involves a lot of government work. Neither are on the public payroll but you are right, their jobs would not be located there if the government wasn't.

4 March 2008, 16:35:21 GMT
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jameshigham
It is the capital, David, for all that I don't like London.

2 March 2008, 11:45:33 GMT