WILTSHIRE has the fourth highest number of manufacturing jobs in the south west, according to the latest figures.
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey compiled by the Office of National Statistics reveals Wiltshire has 31,000 workers employed in manufacturing.
This places Wiltshire 18,000 jobs behind regional leader Gloucestershire and means 14.1 per cent of the county's workforce falls in that sector.
The figures also show that the south of England is outstripping the north in manufacturing jobs.
Richard Ascough, southern regional secretary of trade union GMB, said: "The fact that the south east of England is now Britain's largest manufacturing regions reflects the decline of jobs in Britain's former manufacturing heartlands.
"The fact that Somerset has 23,000 more manufacturing jobs than Manchester speaks volumes. As we consume almost 2m barrels of oil per day and vast quantities of natural gas.
"When the North Sea oil and gas run out the UK will need its manufacturing industry to maintain the living standards of the citizens."
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