About 24,000 factory jobs are at risk over the next three months as UK manufacturers struggle with falling orders, business leaders warn. According to the CBI and research group Experian, a drop in domestic and export orders hit production throughout most of the UK in the last quarter of 2005. Firms expect profits to remain under pressure during the next three months as high energy prices continue to bite.
See "Factories report falling orders", BBC News, BBC News Online, February 6, 2006