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West Midlands

Demography

Population in the West Midlands is growing more slowly than the UK average. (Read more...)

Household income and spending

Productivity, expenditure per capita and disposable income per capita are lower in the region than in the UK. (Read more...)

Housing market

In the West Midlands, housing starts, house price and advances on dwellings fell in 2011Q1. The weak housing market might constrain growth in construction output in 2011; however, construction workloads improved in 2011Q1 according to survey data. (Read more...)

Industries and firms

A shift in industrial structure since 1990 has seen the importance of manufacturing as an employer in the West Midlands lessen considerably. (Read more...)

Labour market

The unemployment rate fell in 2010 in the West Midlands and stayed unchanged in 2011Q1 on the claimant-count measure but it was 1¾ pp above the UK average on the LFS measure. The number of employees in employment fell in 2011Q1 and the number of self-employed fell in 2010 H2. (Read more...)

News and interpretation - Manufacturing

Despite uncertainties in the labour market, the manufacturing sector shows signs of improvement, and the overall prospects look good. (Read more...)

News and interpretation - Services

Council jobs are being cut, but there is some employment growth in the private sector. (Read more...)

Occupational mix

The West Midlands has an occupational structure similar to the average for the UK. (Read more...)

Short-term outlook

GVA is expected to grow moderately in 2011 and 2012. Manufacturing is the main driving force behind the growth. Employment continues to decrease, but only slightly in 2011. (Read more...)

Skills and earnings

Skills and earnings in the region have been lagging behind the UK average. While the skills gap is narrowing, the earnings gap is not. (Read more...)

The long-term: Demography

The population of the West Midlands is forecast to grow at just below ½% pa in the period to 2020. The workforce in the West Midlands is projected to increase at only two-thirds of the UK's average rate in the same period but the gap is projected to narrow to zero by 2025. (Read more...)

The long-term: GVA and employment

Over the long term the West Midlands is forecast to lag slightly behind the UK averages for growth of GVA and employment. (Read more...)

Transport infrastructure

The West Midlands is well connected to the rest of the UK and major European cities through its transport infrastructure. (Read more...)