Industry news
Jubilee report hails prosperity
Posted Wed, 01 Feb 2012
A report marking the Queen's Diamond Jubilee says workers are more productive and prosperous than when she came to the throne 60 years ago.
On the other hand, there is a lot more stress, millions of jobs in manufacturing have gone and part-time employment has seen a massive rise.
Although the numbers in work has risen by six million to 29 million, a quarter of people are part-timers, compared with just 4% in the 1950s.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) produced the study which also found a 20-fold rise in company personnel jobs and more pay inequality.
The years since 1952 have seen a fourfold increase in the value of output although stress through work rose, and there has been an "overload" of information with rapid strides forward in technology.
The Chief Economic Adviser to the CIPD, John Philpott, summed up his views, saying the lesson was that the common good, either at work or in society generally, was not enhanced just by greater productivity and prosperity.
Copyright Press Association 2012