The food subsector witnessed a significant production increase in the final quarter of 2024, helping UK manufacturing record its best quarter on record, new figures show.
In the three months to December, UK manufacturers delivered £155.6bn worth of output, according to an analysis of ONS data by FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics. The previous best quarter for UK manufacturing was Q2 2023, when output totalled £153.9bn.
The value of food production (£28.4bn) was 8.3% higher in Q4 2024 than in the same period of 2023, partly due to productivity gains worth £2.15bn.
Increased food output pushed the total value of UK manufacturing output in 2024 to £609.2bn, up on 2023’s £607.6bn. This 0.26% increase in production was lower than growth in previous years and was achieved despite a 19,000 reduction in the number of people in the UK manufacturing workforce.
While output in other manufacturing subsectors was lower in Q4 2024 than Q4 2023, several reversed a summer slump in activity to grow again the final in three months of the year:
- The value of motor vehicles & transport equipment produced in the UK increased by £4.48bn between Q3 and Q4 2024, recording a 15.9% increase in productivity.
- UK manufacturers producing computer, electronic & electrical products boosted output by £578m (5.7%) between Q3 and Q4 2024.
- Output for UK manufacturers specialising in textiles, apparel & leather products, paper, paper products & printed material, and metals, metal products & machinery also increased by around 1% quarter-on-quarter.
Chris Iveson, CEO at FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics, commented: “UK manufacturers have remained resilient in the face of significant headwinds. They focused on what they could influence and boosted output and productivity in perhaps the most challenging year since 2020. Despite skills shortages and a shrinking workforce, UK manufacturers continue to deliver growth and drive productivity with technology. This is a sector to be proud of.”
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