Employment policy in the UK. Calculation of the correlation coefficient between the inflow of foreign direct investment and economic growth rates on the example of the UK and Hungary Service sector in the UK

Great Britain, one of the leaders in world trade and financial center, is the third largest economy in Europe after Germany and France. Over the past two decades, the government has greatly reduced the share of state ownership in the country's economy and implemented welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized and meets European standards, providing approximately 60% of the country's food needs with less than 2% employment. work force. The UK has large coal, natural gas and oil resources, but oil and natural gas reserves are declining and the UK became an oil and gas importer in 2005.

The service sector, especially banking, insurance and business services, is considered the largest component of UK GDP, while the share of industry continues to decline. Since recovering from the crisis in 1992, the British economy has grown for the longest period in history, and this growth has largely outstripped that of most Western Europe. In 2008, however, the global financial crisis hit the country's economy particularly hard, due to the importance of the country's financial sector. Sharply falling prices in the domestic market, large consumer debt and the global economic crisis are the main British economic problems, due to which the UK experienced a recession in the second half of 2008.

The crisis prompted the then Bruna government to implement many economic stimulus measures and stabilize financial markets; they included partial nationalization of the banking sector, tax cuts, increased government spending and capital projects. Faced with an increase in the budget deficit and a high level of debt, the government of D. Cameron in 2010 began to implement a five-year program to reduce spending, which is aimed at reducing the country's budget deficit from 10% of GDP in 2010 to 1% by 2015. The Bank of England periodically coordinates steps to change the interest rate with the ECB, but the UK remains outside the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

Currently, the leading sector of the British economy is the service sector (74% of GDP), the growth rate of which in 2006 (3.6%) exceeded the growth rate of GDP as a whole (2.8%). The leading position in it is occupied by its financial component (27.7% of GDP), which determines the country's specialization in the system of international economic relations. In transport (7.8% of GDP), the growth was 2.9%. The second most important branch of the British economy is industry (18.6% of GDP, a decrease in output in 2006 by 0.1%) is represented by two sub-sectors: mining (2.2% of GDP, a decrease of 9.2%) and manufacturing industry (14.7% of GDP, an increase of 1.4%). Agriculture, which satisfies about two-thirds of domestic food needs, accounts for only 1% of GDP (output decreased by 1.8%), construction (6.1%, growth by 1.1%).

UK Natural Resources

Great Britain - is considered the world's second exporter of kaolin (white clay from which porcelain is made); other types of clay are also mined on a large scale for the ceramic industry. There are prospects for the extraction of tungsten, copper and gold from newly explored deposits.

Development iron ore is conducted in a relatively narrow belt that begins at the city of Scunthorpe in Yorkshire in the north and stretches through the entire East Midlands to the city of Banbury in the south. The ore here is of low quality, siliceous and contains only 33% of the metal. The need for iron ore is covered by imports from Canada, Liberia and Mauritania.

In the British sector of the North Sea, 133 oil fields are known with proven reserves of 2 billion tons and recoverable reserves of 0.7 billion tons, which is about 1/3 of the shelf reserves. More than 80 gas fields have been discovered in the British zone of the North Sea with proven reserves of 2 trillion m3 and recoverable reserves of 0.8 trillion m3.

UK Industry

The UK industry (18.6% of GDP, a 0.1% decline in output in 2006) is represented by two sub-sectors: mining (2.2% of GDP, a decrease of 9.2%) and manufacturing (14, 7% of GDP, an increase of 1.4%).

The mining industry includes ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, oil and natural gas production. Oil production in the UK is carried out at fifty fields, of which the largest are Brent and Fortis. In 2003, it amounted to 106 million tons, of which more than half was exported - mainly to the USA, Germany, and the Netherlands. Large oil imports also remain (up to 50 million tons), which is associated with the predominance of light fractions in North Sea oil and the technological features of British refineries designed for heavier oil.

Growth rates of industrial production in Great Britain, % to the previous year

As for the British oil refining industry, it is still dependent on imports of crude oil and petroleum products. There are 9 refineries in the country with a total capacity of about 90 million tons per year (in 1999, the Shell refinery in Shell Haven with a capacity of 4.3 million tons per year was closed). They are located at the mouth of the Thames, at Foley near Southampton, in south Wales, at the Manchester Canal, in Teesside, Humberside and in Scotland (Grangemouth).

Gas production at them began in the mid-1960s, now 37 fields are being exploited, 1/2 of the production is produced by 7, among them - Lehman-Bank, Brent, Morkham. Production volume for 1990-2003 increased to 103 billion m3. Foreign gas trade is negligible; in 2003, its exports amounted to 15, and imports - 8 billion m3. The gas pipeline, laid on the bottom of the North Sea, reaches the east coast of the island of Great Britain in the area of ​​Easington and Yorkshire.

Ferrous metallurgy has been greatly developed. By the beginning of the 70s, the volume of steel production amounted to about 30 million tons, later, with the introduction of quotas for ferrous metals in the EU, it decreased by more than 2 times - to 13.5 million tons in 2001 (Great Britain is not among the ten largest steel producers.) In the second half of the 1980s, the industry underwent a technical modernization, and at present 75% of steel is smelted by the BOF process.

Today, the UK ranks eighth in the world in iron and steel smelting. The state corporation British Steel produces almost all the steel for the country. It should be noted that the British metallurgy developed in favorable conditions. The country is rich in coal. Iron ore was often found in the coal seams themselves or was mined nearby. The third component necessary for metallurgy - limestones are found almost everywhere in the British Isles. coal basins, near which metallurgical centers developed, are located relatively close to each other and from the largest seaports of the country, which facilitates delivery from other regions of the country and from foreign countries missing raw materials and export of finished products. 4 metallurgical districts have survived, of which only one is located in the center of the country (Sheffield-Rotherham with its specialization in high-quality steel and electric steel), the rest are on the coast in ports (in South Wales - Port Talbot, Llanvern, in Humbersay de - Scunthorpe , in Teesside - Redcar).

The steel industry in the UK is increasingly using scrap metal as a raw material, so modern steel plants are usually "tied" to the main industrial centers as sources of raw materials and markets for finished products.

In turn, the British non-ferrous metallurgy is one of the largest in Europe. It works almost entirely on imported raw materials, so the smelting of non-ferrous metals gravitates towards port cities. With the almost complete absence of a resource base, the industry developed due to the high demand for non-ferrous metals and is represented mainly by the production of secondary metal. Of the primary metals, only aluminum and nickel are produced. The country's needs for tin, lead, and aluminum are almost completely met by domestic production; for copper and zinc by 1/2.

Non-ferrous metal exports far exceeded iron and steel exports in terms of value. Great Britain is also one of the main suppliers of metals such as uranium, zirconium, beryllium, niobium, germanium, etc., which are used in the nuclear industry, aircraft construction and electronics. The main buyers of British non-ferrous metals are the USA and Germany.

The West Midlands is the main area of ​​non-ferrous metallurgy, there are many small enterprises specializing in the production, rolling, casting and processing of non-ferrous metals. Other centers are South Wales, London and Tyneside. The three largest aluminum smelters are located on the island of England, near the city of Invengordon (Scotland) and in the northeast of England. They provide more than half of the industry's demand for primary aluminum. The aluminum production centers in Midland and South Wales are closely linked to US and Canadian aluminum companies.

In the structure of the manufacturing industry, the paper and printing industries (13.9%), food and tobacco (13.8%) have the largest share. The food and flavor industry over the past half century has become one of the main areas of concentration of British capital: of the 40 corporations in the country that are members of the "Club 500" of the largest firms in the world, this industry is represented by a dozen, led by Unilever, Diageo and Cadbury Schweppes. Food concentrates, confectionery, drinks (including tea, Scotch whiskey and London gin), and tobacco products are highly competitive on the world market. The placement of the largest enterprises is focused on markets, including external ones.

The engineering industry, the largest branch of British industry, employs 1/4 of all those employed in the manufacturing industry. The industry accounts for 40% of conditionally pure products of the manufacturing industry. If in the past it was characterized by the production of high-quality products, but of an average level of complexity, now technically complex, science-intensive products are gaining more and more weight. Transport engineering dominates. About 1/3 of the capital spent on the production of means of transport belongs to American companies that have established themselves in the British Isles after the Second World War. There are enterprises in this industry in almost all areas and in most cities in the UK.

The UK is the world's leading exporter of trucks. For example, a series of off-road vehicles of the Land Rover brand is widely known. The main buyers of English cars are the USA, New Zealand, Iran and South Africa.

Several of the largest automobile firms produce almost all serial cars and trucks. Such as British Leyland, factories of the international American company Chrysler U.K. and the American subsidiaries Vauxhall and Ford. Rolls-Royce (controlled by BMW) and Bentley, controlled by Volkswagen, maintain their positions as world leaders in the production of high-end cars. In 2002, 1.8 million cars were produced, including 1.5 million cars. Imports still exceed exports, but the latter is also very significant (about 1 million units). The first major automotive industry in the British Isles was the West Midlands, centered on Birmingham. The second region of the automotive industry was the south-east of England (with centers in Oxford, Luton and Dagenham), where there were an abundance of workers.

General engineering is now inferior in terms of growth to other sectors of the industry. AT last years the positions of the machine tool industry again strengthened (the country ranks sixth in the world in terms of production, but fourth in exports). The branch of international specialization is tractor construction (the first place in the world in the production of wheeled tractors).

More than 2/3 of the cost of products in instrumentation falls on scientific and industrial instruments, including a number of newest species control and measuring and diagnostic equipment. The production of watches and cameras is also developed.

Aircraft manufacturing is one of the fastest growing engineering industries in the UK. This industry is dominated by the state's largest firm, British Airspace. It specializes in the production of a wide range of various aircraft, helicopters, spacecraft, rockets. Helicopters are manufactured by another large firm, Westland Aircraft. Almost all the production of aircraft engines in the country is concentrated in the hands of the nationalized company Rolls-Royce, which has factories in Derby, Bristol, Coventry, and also in Scotland. Cooperation with Western European and American companies in the production of civil and military equipment is widely developed.

The newest productions of the chemical industry are also among the rapidly developing industries. About 1/3 of the products of basic chemistry are inorganic chemicals - sulfuric acid, oxides of metals and non-metals. Among the many chemical industries, the production of synthetic fibers began to stand out on a large scale. various kinds plastics, new dyes, pharmaceuticals and detergents. British chemistry is based on oil and gas raw materials and specializes in a fairly limited number of chemical products that are highly science-intensive: these are pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, engineering plastics used in aircraft and rocket manufacturing, microelectronics. The main areas of the chemical industry were formed on the basis of refineries near the sales markets. The main areas for the location of the chemical industry are the following: the South East of England, Lankshire and Cheshire.

The industries traditional for the British economy, such as the textile industry, are also developing. Of the light industries, it plays a special role in the industrial development of the country, in the spread of the machine method of production throughout the world. Woolen fabrics are produced mainly in West Yorkshire, rayon production prevails in the Yorkshire city of Silesden, and cotton fabrics in Lancashire, in small textile towns north-east of Manchester. The production of woolen fabrics, products, yarn is the oldest in the British Isles. The woolen products of British textile workers are still highly valued in foreign markets today.

UK agriculture

UK stands out in agriculture among European countries by the fact that less than two percent of the population is employed in this sector of the economy. With commercial intensification of crops and high level mechanization for some positions, the volume of agro industrial production outpaced domestic demand. The level of employment in this area is gradually decreasing. In order to create alternative jobs for people in rural areas, the government is trying to divert labor to other industries. The area of ​​land used in agriculture (about three-quarters of the total area) is also decreasing, while land suitable for growing cereals is given over to pastures.

State policy towards agriculture involves increasing the level of productivity and living standards of people employed in the agro-industrial complex, while at the same time maintaining reasonable prices for goods. To achieve this, a system of minimum prices for domestic goods and duties on imports was created. Producers of beef and lamb are specially paid extra to make their product competitive on the European market. Recent measures include restrictions on milk production and compensation to farmers for unused land.

The most important cereals are wheat, oats, rye. A significant part of the cereals is used to feed livestock, but the rest goes to the production of bread, cereals, etc. In animal husbandry, cattle are the most important. In agriculture, they try to maintain a high level of self-sufficiency, with the exception of the production of sugar and cheese; which are imported.

The UK currently ranks sixth among EU member states in terms of agricultural production. On average, one full-time worker here produces products worth 25.7 thousand euros (in gross terms). Agricultural land in the UK is 18.5 million hectares, which is about 77% of the country.

Agriculture in the UK is currently one of the most productive and mechanized in the world. The share of employment in the industry is 2% of the total employment in the country. The total area of ​​agricultural land is 58.3 million hectares (76% of all land in the country). The structure of agricultural production is dominated by animal husbandry. Dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig breeding (bacon fattening), meat sheep breeding and poultry farming are also developed.

The general dynamics of the development of agriculture in Great Britain in 2006, in terms of the cost of production of the main types of agricultural products in market prices, had the following indicators: wheat production increased by 16% and amounted to 1.2 billion pounds; barley - by 9.8% to 412 million pounds; rapeseed for the production of vegetable oil - by 17% to 307 million pounds; sugar beets fell 37% to £168m; fresh vegetables increased by 9.1% to £986 million; plants and flowers decreased by 4.4% to 744 million pounds; potatoes increased by 24% to £625 million; fresh fruit fell 1.2% to £377m; pork increased by 1.3% to 687 million pounds; beef - by 13% to 1.6 billion pounds; mutton - by 2.7% to 702 million pounds; poultry meat - by 1% to £1.3 million; milk decreased by 3.6% to 2.5 million pounds; eggs increased by 2.0% to £357m.

UK service industry

The most remarkable phenomenon that characterizes the UK economy has been the growth of the service sector. It reflects the increase in real incomes of the population, as well as the ratio between spending on goods and services. Representatives of the financial sector and the entertainment and tourism sector especially benefited. Although some services, such as public transport, laundries and cinemas, have reduced their income levels due to a shift towards their own goods, such as cars, washing machines and televisions, this has helped develop service sectors that sell and repair these items. Other service sectors that have increased in demand include hotels, tourism, retail, finance and leisure. Numerous other sectors that previously held little or no market share have become much more significant. They include the production of computers and software, advertising, market research, exhibitions, presentations and conferences. Recently, the UK has also been actively developing the sector of teaching foreign languages, especially English, secondary and higher education by attracting international students.

Currently, the service sector in the UK accounts for about 2/3 of the country's GDP. In it, the main share (about 40%) is occupied by business and financial services. The share of public services accounts for 35%, trade - 19%. Hotel services occupy - 5% of the total services market. Turnover in the service sector of the UK in 2006 amounted to 221.5 billion pounds, its growth compared to the previous year - 8.4%. The UK external trade in services has a positive balance (17.2 billion pounds). In 2006, total exports of services amounted to £125.6 billion. and increased relative to 2005 by 9.8%. Financial services took the leading position in exports.

Currency, finance and banks of Great Britain

While the UK has traditionally maintained its position as the world's financial leader, the 1980s saw significant changes in the structure and regulation of financial institutions. They affected the banking system, the insurance system, the building societies, the stock exchange, and the consumer goods market. Some previously well-defined divisions of activity have become more blurred, for example, if earlier loans for the construction of a house were the exclusive prerogative of building societies, now these loans began to be issued both by banks and Insurance companies. There were two related changes: the transformation of building society affiliates into actual banks with their own cash reserves, and the expansion of all three types of organizations into the real estate market. Building societies are also involved to some extent in investment services, insurance and land services.

London continued to grow as a center for international financial transactions. Capital inflows have increased, as well as foreign exchange and securities trading, thus London has a large number of foreign banks - Increased competition and technological development accelerated the process of exchange and trade - The Stock Exchange was reorganized and the traditional system of brokers and jobbers was abolished. As a result, a number of companies were formed that became an intermediate link between British and foreign banks and former brokers and jobbers. In the late 1980s, laws were passed to regulate these new financial institutions. We even had to create new regulatory bodies that monitored the implementation of the letter of the law in this area of ​​activity.

All commercial banks are supervised by the Bank of England, which has the right to issue banknotes in England and Wales (the banks of Scotland and Northern Ireland have limited rights to issue money in their territories). The Bank of England licenses banks that mainly work with the population (like Sberbank), investment, mortgage and other British or foreign banks. The dividing lines in this sector / have also become less visible, while banks working with individuals, divided into mortgage banks, insurance banks; securities banks, etc. The Bank of England also controls the refinancing rate, which affects the structure and level of interest rates. He actively intervenes in foreign exchange markets, protecting the stability of the pound. The pound sterling is one of the main currencies of the world, and London is one of the most important shopping centers peace.

The savings of the population are invested in the development of the economy through a network of financial institutions. Examples include insurance companies, pension and investment funds. Other organizations specialize in particular areas of funding; thus, financial institutions provide money against real estate. There are also companies that finance equipment leasing and medium- and long-term capital markets, which also finance banks or the stock market, including the market for innovative technologies.

In the UK there are several organized financial markets. The securities markets consist of the International Stock Exchange, which deals in listed securities and shares (including government securities and options), the Unlisted Securities Market, for smaller companies, and the Third Market, for smaller companies whose securities are not listed. Actions in the foreign exchange market include trading in certificates of deposit, short-term deposits, etc. Other markets deal with the Euro, currency exchange, futures, etc.

The share of invisible trade (fees and fees for financial services, interest on deposits, profits and dividends) is constantly increasing from one-third to one-half of the total external income of the state. Gold and foreign exchange reserves (gross) of Great Britain as of the end of 2006 amounted to 84.0 billion dollars. (end of 2005 - 79.2 billion dollars), including government - 51.8 billion dollars. (48.1 billion dollars), the Bank of England - 32.2 billion dollars. (31.1 billion dollars).

The fluctuations in the exchange rate of the British pound that took place in 2006 against major currencies varied markedly. If the relative stability of the pound sterling against the common European currency reflects, first of all, the synchronization of economic processes in the UK and countries belonging to the euro area, then the significant strengthening against the dollar is partly the Bank of England maintaining its discount rate at a fairly high level, and partly - the acceleration of national economic growth.

Foreign relations and UK foreign trade

The UK retains an important role in the global economy. The country is one of the five most developed countries in the world and produces about 3% (2000 - 3.2%) of the world's GDP (according to the purchasing power parity of the national currency). In the export of goods and services, its share is 4.6% (2000 - 5.2%), in their import - 5.1% (5.6%). At the same time, there is a reduction specific gravity countries in world trade. The macroeconomic situation in the UK has remained stable over the past decade. The growth of real GDP per capita was on average higher than in other G7 countries, unemployment and inflation were lower.

In 2006, the UK GDP growth increased to 2.8%, which corresponds to the level of economic growth in the G7 countries. At the same time, the inflation rate in the UK was lower (2.3% vs. 2.5%). Since the 2001/2002 financial year in the UK, the situation with the size of the deficit has worsened state budget, and in the 2004/2005 financial year, its value reached 3.3% of GDP. However, in the 2006/2007 financial year, this figure fell to 2.8% of GDP.

The country continues to maintain a dominant position in the global financial services market. Three-fifths of world trade in international bonds (1st place in the world, primary market), two-fifths - foreign assets (1st place) and derivatives (1st place, the so-called "trading over the counter") are concentrated in the UK , a little less than a third of foreign exchange transactions (2nd place after the USA), a fifth of international borrowings (1st place). oh place). London also leads the way in wealth management for the world's wealthiest people.

The most important commodity and stock exchanges of the world are located in Great Britain: the London Stock Exchange, the London Metal Exchange, the International Petroleum Exchange, the Baltic Exchange.

The UK trade deficit in December 2010 set a record since 1980, when the measurement of the corresponding indicator began. The negative trade balance amounted to $14.5 billion, $1.9 billion more than in November, when an anti-record was also set.

Experts say that the main reason for the sharp increase in the deficit is the heavy snowfall that hit the country in the last month of last year. December 2010 was the coldest in 100 years, causing many UK airports to close. While imports grew by 3.5 percent in December, exports grew by only 1.5 percent.

In general, for the whole of 2010, the deficit amounted to 140.9 billion dollars - 14.8 billion more than a year earlier. The volume of exports amounted to 405.6 billion dollars, and the volume of imports - 546.5 billion dollars.

Workaholism and labor efficiency are different concepts. This was clearly confirmed by a recent study by the OECD, which compared the number of working hours per year per citizen and its productivity per hour of work in 36 countries of the world.

In terms of the amount of time spent at work per year, Russia was in fifth place in the world and second in Europe, yielding leadership in both positions to Mexico and Greece. According to analytics, a domestic employee works 1928 hours a year, while the world leader - a Mexican - 2226 hours, and a European (Greek) 2034 hours a year.

But in terms of labor productivity, measured in GDP per hour of work (expressed in $), Russians rank third from the bottom of the OECD list. The economic efficiency of our labor is still one of the lowest in the world - only 25.9 $/hour. Below only the most "hard-working" Mexico - $ 19.5 / hour. But the leader in productivity in Europe and the world is Luxembourg: each working resident of this tiny country produces goods and services for $95.9 per hour.

Recall that the employment rate is defined as percentage the number of employed citizens aged 15 to 64 to the total number of citizens of the same age. Employed, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), is a person over the age of 15 who is engaged in paid work for at least an hour a week.

We will also show in the ranking the distribution of workers by sectors of the economy within each country, based on international analytics from Rosstat.

1

Iceland

Employment rate - 82%

Gunlaygur Shewing. "H?karlinn tekinn inn"

If you believe the statistical yearbook of Iceland, then in the homeland of a herring and a volcano with an unpronounceable name, Eyjafjallajökull, 77% of the population works in the service sector: sales, service, education, medicine, tourism and banking.

Only 18% of the economically active population participates in the manufacturing sector, mainly building houses and processing fish. The latter refers to the agricultural sector, where only 5% of Icelanders work.

For a year, one inhabitant of the ice state spends 1706 hours on work. And for every hour he produces services and goods for his country for 48 US dollars.

2

Switzerland

Employment rate - 80%

Ferdinand Hodler. "Reaper"

The Swiss are world famous for their watches, cheeses and chocolate. At the same time, only 20.3% of the population work in the manufacturing sector, and only 3.5% are fond of farming. The bulk of the inhabitants of the Alpine state - 72.5% - give their time to the service sector.

With the accuracy of Swiss watches, it is calculated that one resident spends 1619 hours a year on work, and each of them adds $ 61.1 to the GDP of the Alpine state.

3

Norway

Employment rate - 75%

Jan Ekens. "Laundry on a Winter Day"

In the kingdom of the fjords, 77.5% of workers are engaged in the extraction of profit in the service sector. 20.2% of working Norwegians give their strength to the industrial sector, including oil, minerals and construction, 2.2% - to agriculture and fishing.

In terms of productivity, an hour of hard work by a Norwegian is $88. In a year, one resident of Norway produces 1418 hours.

4

Netherlands

Employment rate - 74%

Adrian van Utrecht. "Fish Shop"

The Dutch are often referred to as the Chinese of Europe for their tireless work ethic. Of the total number of hard-working subjects of His Majesty Willem-Alexander, 2.5% grow tulips, 15.2% make cheese and televisions, and 71.4% provide various services.

For a year, Rembrandt's compatriots spend 1384 hours of their lives on work, producing $ 64.3 per hour for their beloved Holland.

5

Denmark

Peder Severin Kroyer. "Fishermen in Skagen"

According to statistics, the Danes like to work. They are most willing to work in the service sector - 77.6% of the total number of employees. About 19.6% of the population finds themselves in industry, and 2.6% in agriculture.

All this activity enriches the Danish kingdom by $63.3 every hour. Every Dane works 1,430 hours a year.

6

Germany

Employment rate - 73%

Adolf von Menzel. "Rolling Mill"

In the most pedantic country of the European Union, only 1.5% of the total number of German workers grow vegetables and livestock. About 30% of Germans ensure the uninterrupted production of cars, peregrine falcons and Zeiss lenses. 70.3% of the German population is employed in the field of various services.

"Machinists" of the European economic locomotive work 1,393 hours a year. The productivity of an hour of German labor is equal to the production of material goods in the amount of $62.3.

7

Canada

Michelle Vacant. "Symposium"

In the country of maple syrup, only 1.2% of the working population is interested in agriculture; extraction of oil, gas, coal and all grades of ore - 20.9%. Trade, educate, treat, manage and provide other services 78% of Canadians.

Every Canadian spends 1,711 working hours a year to support their country's economy. The efficiency of his work allows you to increase the volume of GDP by $ 50.7 in one hour.

8

Japan

Employment rate - 72%

Asano Takeji "Rice Production"

In Japan, the willingness to die on the job is taken literally and written into the resume. However, daily 4.2% of workaholics in the Land of the Rising Sun risk their lives in agriculture and fishing, 27.3% in the production of cars and computers, 68.5% in offices, shops and restaurants, serving the population and tourists.

Officially, every Japanese gives work 1745 hours of his life a year. In one hour, it increases Japan's economic performance by $41.5.

9

Great Britain

Employment rate - 71%

Brighton Rivier. "The Old Gardener"

The subjects of the British crown are not used to sitting around: 78.9% of Britons work in the service sector, including trade, education, healthcare and banking. 19% of the able-bodied population of the United Kingdom work in industry and construction. And only 1.2% of the British are engaged in agriculture and fishing.

Every UK employee spends 1,654 hours a year on the job. The productivity of one hour is $50.5.

10

Finland

Eero Jarnefelt. "Burning out the forest for arable land"

In terms of employment, Russia's northern neighbors are "friends" with our country. In terms of efficiency, the Finns have succeeded more than the Russians: one Finn spends 1679 hours a year on work, and for an hour of work he increases GDP by $53.6.

As in previous countries, most of the citizens are employed in the service sector of the economy - 72.7%. 4.1% work in the economic sector, and 22.7% of able-bodied Finns work in the manufacturing sector.

11

Russia

Employment rate - 69%

Ilya Repin "Barge haulers on the Volga"

In comparison with other states, it is easy to see that our country is a real agrarian leader. Of the total number of employed Russians, 7% work in the agricultural sector. 27.8% of compatriots work at steel-rolling machines, coal and oil mining, construction of houses and spaceports. And in the non-manufacturing sector, we lag behind our neighbors in the rating: 65.5% of Russians are employed here.

Recall that each of us works an average of 1928 hours a year. The productivity of an hour in our country is equal to the production of GDP in the amount of $25.9.

Brief economic characteristics of Great Britain

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country, one of the top five most developed countries in the world. In terms of energy reserves, the UK ranks first in Europe and is a major producer of oil and gas

The main feature of the country's macroeconomic development is that the UK has chosen a neoliberal, "Anglo-Saxon" model of development. It is characterized by the predominance of free private enterprise (more than 80% of total production). The private sector provides over 75% of all jobs. The policy of the British government is aimed at creating the most favorable opportunities for the development of private business. However, with a general increase in the living standards of the population in the country, there is a significant polarization of income, when 10% of the population owns 54% of the national wealth.

Great Britain in the international division of labor acts as a supplier of industrial products. However, the economic role of the UK in modern world is determined not only by industrial, but also banking, insurance, ship-freight and other commercial activities. About 30% of its gross national product comes from manufacturing and 45% from services, including transport and communications, retail, insurance, banks and other financial institutions, healthcare and education. The share of the service sector in the gross national product is growing much faster than the share of the manufacturing industry, which is even somewhat declining. The share of agriculture also decreased - to 3% and extractive industry - to 1.4%.

The export of industrial goods and the export of "services" for the development of the UK economy is of exceptional importance, which together give 26% of the gross national product. An important source of income for the British international monopolies has been and remains the export of capital to other countries.

With the reorientation of British industry to the latest industries, the external market began to play a greater role for its development than cheap labor. Recently, this market has been found by the British monopolies in the developed capitalist countries, whose share in the export of British capital has exceeded 3/5. The export of British capital to developing countries is still large: it accounts for almost half of the capital exported to these countries by Western European states. At the same time, the contributions of foreign monopolies to the British economy are growing rapidly.

Great Britain, having lost almost all of its colonies, has lost many economic advantages: control over the world's richest deposits - non-ferrous metals, oil, important sources of natural rubber, cheap agricultural products, guaranteed markets for manufactured goods and unlimited opportunities for the export of capital to all continents.

Being indebted to the US and its "junior" partner and having assumed significant expenses for NATO, Great Britain is forced to put up with the penetration of American capital into its economy, the role of which is growing every year. The money of tycoons from across the ocean is invested mainly in rapidly developing modern industries industry. American firms produce more than half of automobiles, 3/5 of computers and the same proportion of medicines. More than half of the companies involved in oil and gas exploration in the North Sea are also American.

General information

Geographical and geopolitical position of the country.

Full name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (since 1927). It is located on a group of islands (British Islands) in the North-East of Europe, exactly the largest of them - about. UK and about. Ireland (north-eastern part of the island), about. Maine. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and its seas. The English Channel is separated from the continent.

The capital of the Kingdom is London.

The total area is 244,820 sq. km, of which land - 241,590 sq. km and water - 3,290 sq. km.

As of July 2006, the population of Britain is estimated at 60,609,153 people, of which 80% are British and 15% Scots. Economically active population 67%; The average age in the UK is 39 years and 4 months. The birth rate is 10.7 people/thousand. people with similar mortality, population growth is about 0.28%. For one woman capable of childbearing, there are 1.66 mlad.

The form of government is a parliamentary monarchy. The head of government is the prime minister (Anthony Blair, Labor, in office since May 2, 1997), the head of state is the monarch (Queen Elizabeth II has ruled Great Britain since February 6, 1952). Parliament consists of the House of Lords (upper) and the House of Commons. Executive power is distributed between the cabinet of ministers (20 people) and the government (100 people).

Total GDP £859.1bn Art., GDP per capita is $30,721 (data for 2006), and GNP is $16,070 (data for 1999).

In terms of socio-economic development, the UK is one of the most prosperous countries in the world. According to IRHF - 16th place.

General view of the resource base of the country:

The composition of the labor force

The percentage of the economically active population (people aged 15 to 64) for 2006 is 67% or 30.07 million people. Of these, 23.7% are employed in industry, 75.8% in services, and up to 0.5% in agriculture. Unemployment is 4.7%.

The PPP for 2005 is $1.818 trillion.

Characteristics of the industrial sector

Extractive industry in the United Kingdom: extraction of oil and gas, coal, kaolin, metals (tin, copper, lead, aluminium), uranium-containing ores, potash and rock salts.

The positions of mechanical engineering are especially strong: automotive industry (up to 1.8 million units - Rover Group, Ford, Fekix, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Rolls-Royce, Bentley), machine tool industry (West Midland, Coventry, Leicester), aircraft industry (British Airspace, Rolls-Royce), shipbuilding (Belfast, Clydeside, northeast England), instrumentation, electrical engineering (British Telecom, Racal Electronics, Siemens-Plessy). It should be noted that the British engineering industry is focused not on the production of standard products, but on the production of various types and types of machines, including electrical and electronic, transport, etc.

The chemical and petrochemical industry is developed. Great Britain occupies one of the leading places in the world in the production and export of synthetic fibers and dyes, plastics, detergents, fertilizers, etc.

Along with them, the pharmaceutical industry, ferrous (high-quality steel) and non-ferrous (tin, aluminum) metallurgy are actively developing.

In agriculture, dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding, bacon pig breeding, and meat and wool sheep breeding have been developed. Mostly barley, wheat, sugar beets, oats, and potatoes are grown.

In the service sector - tourism (all types), restaurant business, networks of enterprises in the field of trade and banking, education is developed (the oldest universities in Europe are in Oxford and Cambridge), transport, etc.

Foreign economic relations

· 40% of exports - mechanical engineering;

· ½ of all imports - products of the manufacturing industry;

· Main trading partners: USA (14% of the total turnover), Germany (13%), EU countries (50%);

· a member of many international organizations and associations, actively participates in the field of global cooperation;

· signed the UN conventions on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

GDP structure:
agriculture - 1.3%;
industry - 24.2%;
services - 74.5%.

The UK produces about 3.1% of the world's GDP. In the global export of goods and services, the share of the UK is 4.5%, and in imports - 5.1%.

The extractive industries play an important role in UK industry. But it should be noted that with the simultaneous closure of mines, there is an increase in oil and gas production on the continental shelf of the North Sea. Oil production is carried out using the most advanced drilling technologies on drilling platforms. British Petroleum and the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch/Shell are among the leaders in their market segment. In the manufacturing industry, the following sectors enjoy priority:
transport engineering (12.4% of all industrial production), where the automotive industry stands out (national companies and branches foreign companies Rover, Ford, Jaguar, Vauxhall, Honda, Nissan, Toyota), shipbuilding (including the production of ship equipment and the construction of drilling platforms), the aerospace industry - the third in the world after the USA and France, producing civil and military aircraft (British Aerospace, Harrier , Tornado, Euro fighter), SeaKing and Linko helicopters, Rolls-Royce aircraft engines, equipment for the European concern Airbus Industry;
food industry (12.5% ​​of total production), including the production of the famous Scottish whiskey, gin and milk;
general engineering: production of agricultural machinery and machine tools, including the production of textile machinery (Great Britain is the world's seventh largest manufacturer of machine tools);
electronics and electrical engineering: computers (including manufacturers such as IBM and Compaq); software, means of telecommunications (fiber optics, radars, etc.); medical equipment; Appliances;
chemical industry: pharmaceuticals (Great Britain is the world's fourth largest drug manufacturer); agrochemistry; perfumery; new materials and biotechnologies;
metal production (10.8% of total industrial production);
pulp and paper industry.

The development of modern UK industry is determined by the level of development of high technologies. The UK has the highest scientific and technological potential in Europe and ranks second in the world after the USA in terms of the number of Nobel Prizes received by its scientists. The most important discoveries of the British are the structure of DNA, superconductivity, radio astrophysics, cloning, the ozone hole, and computed tomography. The world dominance of Great Britain in electronics and telecommunications is generally recognized (British Telecom alone carries out about a thousand research discoveries a year), chemistry (pharmaceuticals, new materials, biotechnology), aerospace industry (Concord aircraft, vertical take-off and landing aircraft, radars, tracking systems for air traffic).

Expenditure on research and development (R&D) is 1.88% of GDP per year, including 31.36% of all expenditures financed by the state.

The construction industry in the UK is well established. world recognition High Quality British buildings are served by the fact that Eurodisneyland near Paris, the Olympic facilities in Atlanta, and the airport in Hong Kong were built by British firms.

At the same time, the UK has a low-skilled workforce in industry, but in recent years, due to large-scale public R&D investment programs, this situation is improving.

The private sector, represented by British Petroleum, Shell, British Gas, British Oil, and Enterprise Oil, plays an important role in the country's energy sector.

Agriculture in the UK is highly commercial, while its share in the country's GDP is the smallest among developed countries, only Germany is smaller. The UK is half self-sufficient in food. The main agricultural crops are wheat, oats, sugar beets, barley, and wheat. The country's livestock sector suffered significant damage due to an epidemic of spongiform encephalitis ("mad cow disease") that affected cattle. For safety reasons, one third of the cow population was destroyed.

Great Britain, like all leading countries of the world, has a developed transport infrastructure. The opening of the Eurotunnel under the English Channel made the UK's connection with the continent even more stable. The success of the country in the development of civil aviation is indicative. British Airways today is one of the largest airlines in the world (if we count its share of participation in foreign and English companies), and London Heathrow Airport is a very important aviation harbor in the world.

The largest ports of the country: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Glasgow, Hull, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Plymouth, Peterhead, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Falmouth, Tees, Tyne. The British merchant fleet consists of 155 ships.

GDP structure:
agriculture - 1.3%;
industry - 24.2%;
services - 74.5%.

The service sector is represented by industries such as finance and tourism. 25% of the country's GDP is generated by the financial services sector. It employs 12% of people of working age, and London is the world's financial center, one of the financial capitals of the planet. Among financial services, it is worth highlighting banking (in addition to British banks, 50 largest banks in the world are represented in London), insurance, the market for derivative financial instruments (futures, options, global depository receipts), the bond market (Eurobonds), the foreign exchange market (transactions with eurocurrencies), financial leasing, trust transactions with foreign shares, transactions with precious metals. The second most important branch of the service sector is tourism, 7% of the working population is employed here, and the annual income exceeds $ 8 billion. London is the largest tourist center in the world.

1. Practically only 25 percent of the generated GDP remains, and even then at prices that are inflated compared to the Russian Federation or China and other countries. The rest is services, i.e. e. after the service is rendered, money remains for its provision. For example, a tourist came, gave money and left, and nothing was left after him.

2. England is separated by a strait and, like America, was not as destroyed as the rest of Europe, but today the sea has ceased to be a defense, but rather has become a cover for enemy fleets.