UK Economic Stagnation Erodes Education Outcomes as US Workers Earn Up to 90% More
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Aug 7
UK Economic Stagnation Erodes Education Outcomes as US Workers Earn Up to 90% More
2 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Aug 7
Summary
Britain’s education problems stem mainly from weak growth, low productivity and too few well-paid graduate and non-graduate jobs, not from universities expanding too far or vocational routes alone.
UK graduates’ shrinking wage premium reflects an economy producing too few high-value professional roles, while non-graduates’ lower status also tracks the absence of strong technical and blue-collar jobs.
Germany shows why jobs matter more than credentials: factory workers there earn 50% more than in the UK, though its model also looks vulnerable as Chinese EV competition hits automotive exports.
The US underlines the same point from another angle: despite weaker school and adult-skills results, factory workers earn 60% more than in the UK, plumbers and electricians 90% more, and retail workers double.
Even low-literacy Americans average nearly $30 an hour versus $20 for British peers, reinforcing the article’s conclusion that durable education gains require a more dynamic economy first.