Factories forecast to shed tens of thousands of jobs in 2016

Manufacturers' organisation EEF predicts sector will see modest growth but cautious mood will prompt further cuts to UK jobs and investment

British manufacturers will shed tens of thousands of jobs next year as they battle a tough export market, the fallout from steel plant closures and a collapse in demand from the embattled North Sea oil industry, an industry group has forecast.

The manufacturers' organisation EEF said the factory sector will shrug off this year's recession and eke out modest growth in 2016 but it warned a number of risks loom on the horizon, chief among them a sharper downturn in China that could trigger a global slump.

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