Not unexpectedly, the steady decline in the UK’s leather and footwear manufacturing sector continued into autumn and winter 2002

According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), employees involved in the manufacture of leather and leather products, including footwear, had fallen to 16,500 by September 2002 – 1,300 down on the March ’02 figure.  Of the total, the leather and leather goods sector shed 500 jobs, bringing the total down to 7,100

This reflected the downward trend seen in UK manufacturing, where 161,000 jobs were lost between August and October 2002 alone, bringing the overall manufacturing figure to just under 3.6 million.

Overall employment statistics for the UK indicate that unemployment has reached a 27 year low. According to many observers, however, this has been achieved by a substantial rise in part-time employment and workers on temporary contracts.

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