Why is UK output per hour so low?

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Cyberman60 wrote: »

Germany's average for instance is well above ours as they have highly protected workers rights and do not have our low pay due to their much lower immigration.

You couldn't be more wrong.

Germany has the highest immigration in Europe and second highest in the World (behind only the USA), this is well above the UK's levels, and Germany also has a higher percentage of it's population born overseas.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

antrobus wrote: »

There has always been a UK productivity gap. It has got worse in recent years. A member of the MPC, Ian McCafferty, gave a specch where he outlined the reasons why this is the case. Apparently one of the major reasons is more regulation.

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/speeches/2014/speech739.pdf

Yep.... Productivity in the UK is strangled by red tape.

Cyberman60

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

You couldn't be more wrong.

Germany has the highest immigration in Europe and second highest in the World (behind only the USA), this is well above the UK's levels, and Germany also has a higher percentage of it's population born overseas.

German immigrants have to fulfill much more stringent controls than the UK. I've worked there myself and you cannot even rent accommodation without showing a work/residency permit, passport and a job contract. That is what I call 'good' immigration.

In the UK such controls are lax so the cheaper unskilled labour comes here without a job, without a permit, and without accommodation.... bad immigration IMO, which obviously lowers the hourly rate and GDP per hours worked. How others think this is a mystery is staggering IMO.

antrobus

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Yep.... Productivity in the UK is strangled by red tape.

Specifically McCafferty mentions increasing staff requirements in the financial sector to meet new regulatory requirements. Ditto for the constuction sector, and the energy sector.

Cyberman60

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Yep.... Productivity in the UK is strangled by red tape.

I don't agree and the example I quote is zero hours contracts which the lefties want to strangle with red tape.

It's also much easier to make a person redundant in the UK than in Germany.

antrobus

Cyberman60 wrote: »

German immigrants have to fulfill much more stringent controls than the UK. ...

Most of those immigrants would be EU nationals. Schengen therefore applies.

http://www.dw.de/new-figures-show-immigration-to-germany-is-highest-in-20-years/a-17653135

Cyberman60

antrobus wrote: »

There has always been a UK productivity gap. It has got worse in recent years. A member of the MPC, Ian McCafferty, gave a specch where he outlined the reasons why this is the case. Apparently one of the major reasons is more regulation.

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/speeches/2014/speech739.pdf

One reason for the productivity gap is the ability of unions to hinder technological progress in industry as they try eventually in vain to save jobs. I specifically remember The Sun/Daily Express union problems in the 70s when they wanted to dump antiquated printing methods etc.

Unions are a real problem in the UK, although not so much since Mrs Thatcher !!! :T

Cyberman60

antrobus wrote: »

Most of those immigrants would be EU nationals. Schengen therefore applies.

http://www.dw.de/new-figures-show-immigration-to-germany-is-highest-in-20-years/a-17653135

It does of course apply but that does not get away from the fact that Germany keeps track and controls immigration with sensible checks whereas we are well behind. For instance I bet they know who comes in and leaves their country !!! :T

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Cyberman60 wrote: »

German immigrants have to fulfill much more stringent controls than the UK.

EU citizens can move to and work in Germany at will, and Germany has no more ability to restrict the free movement of people under EU law than we do.

Germany has the highest levels of immigration in Europe, and much of it is has been unskilled labour pouring in from the accession states.

Yet their productivity remains high.

This appears to be causing you a certain amount of cognitive dissonance....;)

Cyberman60 wrote: »

I bet they know who comes in and leaves their country !!! :T

Of course they don't.

There are no border checks or controls within the Schengen zone.

Generali

Cyberman60 wrote: »

Yes, it's a puzzle until commonsense is applied. :rotfl:

Congratulations on your superior knowledge. You should feel.....superior. Or perhaps realise that yours is a massive oversimplification of course.