The former chart illustrates the value shifts of the steel industry in the UK over a period of 30 years, whereas the second line graph presents the figures for employment status in the same domain.
Overall, while the total demand and production of steel experienced a gradual decline, the number of imported steel saw a reverse pattern. Along with these changes was a decrease in the number of people employed in this industry.
Regarding steel’s value in the. UK, between 1970 and 1980, the figure for its demand in the market declined gradually from 200,000 units to approximately 160,000 units, which then dropped suddenly in the next 10 years and stood at over 100,000. Steel production also underwent similar downward trend, which diminished dramatically to roughly 90,000 units in 20 years. In contrast, the value of steel imported surged drastically over the first 10 years and continued to rise moderately to 50,000 units in 1990. From 1990 to 2000, steel demand and production proceeded to decrease to between 80,000 and 100,000 units, whereas the import sector again grew by nearly a half in this period.
The employment status in the UK in this industry mirrored the same pattern as the demand and manufacturing of steel. The number of workers in this field went down from 50,000 to exactly 40,000 between 1970 and 1980, which then plunged to over 20,000 employees. In the last documented 10 years, the figure for employment status reached the lowest level, at just roughly 18,000.