ABSTRACT
Successful technological change and innovation in manufacturing is widely regarded as one of the keys to regional economic growth and development. Technology has become a crucial weapon in the armoury of firms seeking to gain or protect a comparative advantage in domestic or international competitive markets. The turbulent period of the 1980s has seen considerable change in the structure of manufacturing employment. Following the deep recession at the start of the decade, recovery in output has not been matched by a recovery in employment, implying considerable productivity gains. Technological advance has been an important component of this process of change, but the evidence of the 1980s suggests that this has not been a spatially even process.
