Moving towards a post-industrial era
The UK has now entered a post-industrial era. This is a time when traditional industries have declined and new jobs have had to take their place.
The development of IT
The IT industry in the UK is an estimated $942 billion a year:
- Over 150,000 software companies operate in the UK, eg Microsoft and IBM.
- The UK has the largest mobile device market in Europe, with around 80 million mobile subscriptions. This is worth an estimated 拢12.8 billion a year.
- Digital data that is stored remotely by a host server. systems are a fast growing part of the UK economy.
- Many UK companies are looking to locate data centres closer to home and so this is a growth area.
- The UK's Digital security systems to protect against online attacks. market has grown, due to increased threats. This is worth about 拢8.3 billion a year.
The growth of service industries
The service sector makes up about 80% of the UK's economy. Services can include a range of job types, eg healthcare, IT support and entertainment. The UK Goods or services which leave a country. services too, examples of this are The business of providing holidays for people travelling for pleasure. These travellers are called tourists. and education. People from other countries travel to the UK for these services and the money generated from this counts towards UK exports. The UK is the second largest exporter of services globally.
Finance and research
Financial jobs are to do with money. In the UK, these types of jobs include accountancy, working in banks and building societies, financial planning, Bought protection against unfortunate events that may cost money, eg car insurance is paid so that damage is paid for in the event of an accident., Money or capital put into a business for profitable returns, for example interest or income. and A sum of money paid to people upon their retirement.. Large financial employers in the UK include Barclays, Aviva and KPMG.
The government believes that science and research are important for the UK's growth because they help discover new ways for the country to move forward in a sustainable way. Science and research takes place through government research councils, such as the Medical Research Council, higher education, like universities, and other organisations, such as the UK Space Agency.
Science and business parks
Science and An area of modern factories located on the outskirts of a settlement (also called an industrial estate). are special places for company offices. They are often found on the edge of cities, like Bristol and Cambridge, where there is good How easily a location can be reached.. Many are located close to universities to attract graduates. Science and business parks are designed to be pleasant environments for people to work in. They are often low-rise, with plenty of parking and green spaces. The growth of science and business parks has helped IT, service, finance and research businesses to work together.