III.

Economy

Before World War I, the valleys of Mid Glamorgan comprised the largest mining region of the United Kingdom, as well as a major iron-working centre. The railways connected to the south Wales ports ensured good transport links; coal was exported all over the world. The decline in these traditional industries set in during the 1920s, partly as a result of outdated production methods, and partly because of competition from cheaper foreign imports. There was a brief resurgence during World War II, but since 1945 the region generally has been associated with industrial decline and high unemployment. Coal-mining has now essentially been consigned to history, and to heritage centres where former miners show visitors around redundant mines. Considerable efforts were made from the 1970s onwards to regenerate the area. The environments of the Cynon Valley, Merthyr Tydfil, and six other valleys were cleaned up and some new, generally light, industries were attracted. However, unemployment in the ex-mining valleys remained high, and most new industrial investment was in the lowlands of Mid Glamorgan, around Bridgend and along the corridor of the M4 motorway, which ran through the south of the county. The service sector, including public administration, expanded considerably and by the early 1990s was the main source of employment, accounting for 51 per cent of jobs.