It provides a snapshot of the UK's competitiveness. It sets out new policies and initiatives which will assist future competitiveness. The past year has been one of strong growth, with few signs of the inflation which has damaged periods of growth over the past 25 years. Productivity is up. Exports are up.
Unemployment is down.
We have made good progress in the factors that determine competitiveness. We continue to close the gap on our major competitors especially in key measures like manufacturing productivity. As we improve, more companies and more people realise that over time, as a nation, we can match or exceed the performance of the best. More firms have the determination and ability to direct their resources, and especially people, to winning. The task and the opportunity for all of us is to seek out and apply best practice in all we do, and then to improve on that.