National Productivity Week
National Productivity Week will take place 27th November – 1st December, and marks 75 years of productivity discussions in Britain.
UK productivity is lagging behind other countries, and there is no single organisation in the UK tasked with the objective of raising the awareness and raising productivity across the country.
The Productivity Institute (TPI) aims to bridge that gap, connecting different groups to work towards a more productive nation. Funded by UKRI Economic and Social Research Council, the Institute is a broad-based national research institute tasked with engaging business and policy makers.
The Productivity Agenda
During the week The Productivity Institute will also launch the Productivity Agenda, a 10-chapter report written by academics spanning the Universities of Manchester, Cambridge, Cardiff, Kings College London and Warwick, among others, it will highlight nine key areas policymakers need to focus on to address productivity growth in the UK, and argue for a dedicated, independent growth and productivity institution with similar scope and influence to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Bart van Ark, managing director of The Productivity Institute, said: “Nearly two decades of anemic productivity growth reflect a lack of economic dynamism and missed opportunities for investment, innovation, and improvement in living standards. Lower productivity has made the UK economy less resilient in difficult times. We are in urgent need of a national strategy to improve productivity across sectors, firms and regions.
“This week, and the wider Productivity Agenda, aims to shine a spotlight on the challenges the UK faces, bring together key stakeholders from across the public and private sectors to discuss and debate solutions and offer tangible advice to policymakers and business leaders that will be crucial to our future economic growth.”
How we're working with TPI
The University of Warwick is proud to be an academic partner, supporting TPI’s objectives. This work is spearheaded by Professor Nigel Driffield, Professor of International Business at Warwick Business School and Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Regional Engagement for the University of Warwick.
Professor Driffield has worked with a range of international organisations such as the World Bank, OECD and European Commission. Closer to home, he has worked on regional economic strategy with the West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and is now engaged with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). He is the Midlands Forum Lead for The Productivity Institute.
Current projects
- Exploring the relationship between supply chain productivity, resilience and spilloversLink opens in a new window
- Good work and Productivity Data DevelopmentLink opens in a new window
- The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on UK firmsLink opens in a new window
- Innovation, Internationalisation & ProductivityLink opens in a new window
- Inward investment and productivity in a post-Covid, Post Brexit settingLink opens in a new window
Get Involved: Re-imagining Productivity
Join us on Thursday 30th November for a morning of insightful talks and collaborations on productivity. This joint event between the University of Warwick and The Productivity Institute to celebrate National Productivity Week will bring together business, academia and policymakers to explore the importance of productivity. It takes place at Scarman Conference Centre and is free to attend.
Reflections on Productivity
Can power naps boost productivity?
Mattie Toma discovers that naps raise productivity by 2.3 per cent, while poor sleep can cost two weeks productivity each year.
Mental health issues cut firm productivity by a quarter
Companies that don’t do enough to support their workers’ mental health risk seeing their overall productivity drop by a quarter, research by Stephen Roper.
Midlands is losing £20bn in lost productivity every year
The Midlands has one of the lowest levels of productivity in the UK, leading to a potential loss of up to £20 billion to the region each year, says a report from Nigel Driffield.
Productivity research at Warwick
