17 March 2004
In his statement to the House of Commons on 9 June 2003 on UK membership of the European single currency, the Chancellor gave a commitment to publish six-monthly reports on trends and progress in labour, product and capital markets. This document is the second of these six-monthly flexibility reports. It complements a range of other information which the Government produces on economic developments and structural policy reforms in both the UK and internationally, particularly across Europe. The report records progress on the Government’s reforms of labour, product and capital markets, which promote flexibility and fairness.
The Government’s economic objective is to build a strong economy and a fair society, where there is opportunity for all. Reforms which promote flexibility and fairness are central to achieving this goal. Rapid technological progress and strong competition in global markets mean that profitability and competitiveness of different industries and occupations are continually evolving. Flexibility in labour, product and capital markets provides the key to economic success in a globally competitive environment.
"Flexibility in the UK Economy" is available below in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF). If you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer you can download the software free of charge from the Adobe website. For alternative ways to read PDF documents and further information on website accessibility visit the HM Treasury accessibility page.