The government's latest attempt to tackle Britain's poor productivity record focused on extra funding for artificial intelligence, skills and technology, as the chancellor introduced measures to boost economic growth. Philip Hammond said there would be an expansion in the national productivity investment fund which he launched last year. The fund would rise from £23bn to £31bn to help kickstart improvements in efficiency levels across the UK. Productivity is an economic measure of the efficiency of a workforce. It typically measures the level of output per hour of work, or per worker.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called on the UK government to make sure workers are not left out by technology-driven productivity gains. According to TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady, it is essential the UK makes the most of "the most of the economic opportunities that new technologies are offering", especially with the UK failing to make productivity gains in the past decade. You forgot to provide an Email Address. This email address doesn't appear to be valid. This email address is already registered.