Around 36,000 manufacturing jobs will be lost over the next three months,
according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
But despite this, the CBI said manufacturers’ optimism rose in almost half
the UK’s regions, suggesting the depressed conditions which have plagued manufacturing
in the past few years are easing.
According to the latest Regional Trends Survey by the CBI and Experian
Business Strategies, optimism was still low but rose in five of the UK’s 11
regions.
Doug Godden, CBI head of economic analysis, said: "Three months ago
manufacturers were gloomy in almost every region. There has been an encouraging
turnaround in some of the regions though severe difficulties remain and there
are some sharp contrasts in outlook."
