Diversity week in the West Midlands 16th-20th November 2009

Monday 16th November heralds the start of Diversity Week 2009, promoted by Advantage West Midlands in partnership with the West Midlands Employer Coalition.
Around 35 events are taking place across the West Midlands between 16th-20th November 2009, aiming to help businesses appreciate the real benefits of a diverse workforce.

Engaging communities in the new economy – Observatory conference debate

Support the community organisations who are working on the ground, was a strong theme in both workshops on ‘engaging communities in the new economy’ at the Observatory’s 2009 Annual Conference.
The workshop heard from voices working with communities in the region who articulated their frustrations in having to fit their work around funders’ requirements, rather than [...]

Speakers announced for the 2009 conference

One month to go until the Observatory’s 2009 conference - “West Midlands: Fit for the Future?” – on Tuesday 20th October at the Ramada Hotel in Sutton Coldfield.
Book online or fax us a booking form
Entitled “West Midlands: Fit for the Future?”, the conference will follow on from a book of the same name launched by the [...]

Place Survey results 2008

The results of the Place Survey 2008 have recently been released.
This is a national survey administered by local authorities. It aims to collect consistent national data on the way people feel about their local area and the way in which their local authority is run.
We can use the results of the place survey to compare [...]

West Midlands employment rate hits lowest level since 1993

The latest unemployment data released by the Office for National Statistics today shows the West Midlands continues to be worst affected by the recession.
The employment rate in the West Midlands has fallen to 69.9%, dipping below 70% for the first time since 1993.
There are now 100,000 fewer people in employment in the region than at [...]

Mental ill-health is a growing cause of unemployment in the West Midlands

A new report, Mental Health and Employment in the West Midlands (PDF, 483kb) by the West Midlands Regional Observatory highlights the growing problem of mental ill-health in the region.
Following the Economic Inclusion Baseline Report for the West Midlands (PDF, 2.16mb) published in April 2009, which found mental ill-health to be one of the biggest causes of worklessness [...]

Observatory launches new book ‘West Midlands: Fit for the Future?’

A new book from the Observatory, West Midlands: Fit for the Future?, was launched yesterday.
The book aims to stimulate debate, promote discussion and influence policy on the future growth of the West Midlands region. The focus is on the future prosperity of the West Midlands, rather than on the effects of the recession, and exploring [...]

Launch of the first Place Survey results

Results of the first Place Survey were launched today providing information on people’s perceptions of their local area and the local services they receive.
The survey collects information on 18 national indicators for local government, used to measure local government performance for 152 county councils, metropolitan district councils, London boroughs and unitary authorities.
Communities Secretary John Denham [...]

Interactive map of Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants

We’ve produced an interactive map to show how Jobseeker’s Allowance claimant rates are changing across the region in response to the recession.
Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is the main unemployment benefit for working age people who are out of work.

Open the interactive map (requires Adobe Flash Player)
Download the dataset (XLS, 25kb)
Source: Office for National Statistics, claimant count (not [...]

West Midlands unemployment now highest of all regions

Latest data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that unemployment has increased to 8.4 per cent in the West Midlands - higher than any other English region – as 36,000 more people became unemployed in the quarter from November 2008 to February 2009.
The unemployment rate has now increased by 2.4 percentage points on the same period last [...]

Moving the equalities agenda forward

Last week the Observatory launched the  State of the Region dialogue on population change. This event was the first step towards understanding what evidence on the changing population is needed by policy makers in the region.
Chris Allen, Director of Research and Policy at brap, was one of the presenters at this event and his presentation Beyond being statistically challenged: How [...]

What are the causes of worklessness?

The Observatory’s economic inclusion team recently posted on this site to ask for any information on the causes and dynamics of worklessness for a literature review. The completed literature review is now available.
Key findings from the review are that:

several groups of people are at high risk of worklessness – these include people in poor [...]

More likely to die or retire than work again

After two years claiming incapacity benefit, a person is more likely to die or retire than work again, according to research highlighted in a recent report by the West Midlands Regional Observatory.
The Economic Inclusion Baseline Report for the West Midlands (PDF, 1.06mb), shows the facts behind what has become a significant problem for the region.

New research on economic inclusion in the West Midlands

The Observatory’s Economic Inclusion team has published a Baseline Report on Economic Inclusion (PDF, 2.16MB) pulling together regional analysis of key issues relating to worklessness, unemployment and economic inclusion in the West  Midlands.
This is the first comprehensive review of these key issues at regional level and the analysis enables consideration of the scale and distribution of [...]

New measures to help sufferers of depression and anxiety back to work

New measures to help unemployed people experiencing depression or anxiety back to work were announced last week by the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell.
The government is investing £13m in the support package, which will fund provisions such as:

A faster roll out of [...]