Work smarter, says DTI

In its first annual benchmarking study of international competitiveness, the DTI has found that the UK is not leading in the 'knowledge economy', as might have been hoped.

The investigation, looking at a series of indicators, reveals that on average we work more hours than most of our competitors to achieve results - but we make less money than the average of the top seven industrial countries.

The report identifies a number of reasons for below-average performance in the UK, including:

• absence of commitment to innovation
• lack of an 'enterprise culture'
• poor basic skills, and
• a customer population characterised by inertia.

On the other hand, positive points include:

• economic stability
• economic openness
• well regarded R&D skills
• growing investment in IT.

To bridge the current gap in productivity, the DTI says, UK companies need to work not harder but smarter.

Elliott Chase