Budget focus on skills and technology aims to bolster UK productivity

Chancellor's measures to improve economic growth include training, tax relief and 2.5bn fund for innovators

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.

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