The area chart illustrates the number of UK workers employed in the steel field from 1970 to 2000, and the line chart shows the changes in steel value throughout this period.
Overall, it is evident that the number of workers in the UK steel industry witnessed a considerable decline between 1970 and 2000. Remarkably, while the amount of steel imported rose steadily over the 30-year period, both the production and demand of this metal decreased.
In 1970, 50,000 employees worked in the steel field before dropping slightly to 40,000 by 1980. The number of laborers declined dramatically by 1990, which was less than half of this figure in the previous decade, just over 20,000 people and then decreased gradually to around 18,000 people at the end of the period.
Regarding steel value, the total UK steel demand and steel production in 1970 stood at 200,000 tonnes and 170,000 tonnes respectively. After 20 years, both figures fell to half the level in the initial year and slightly dropped to under 100,000 tonnes in 2000. Noticeably, the amount of imported steel was negligible in 1970, then significantly rose to 50,000 tonnes in 1990 and continued to rise in the final year, with nearly 80,000 tonnes.