At the end of June, the Observatory published The West Midlands Economy Post Recession: Key Issues and Challenges (pdf, 844kb), a major piece of research exploring the changing needs of the region’s economy and labour market as it emerges from recession.
The research is informing the decisions of employers, individuals, providers and the skills system as they look to focus their investment in key areas to maximise impact.
Firstly, the research considers the region’s recent poor economic performance and the key factors that have contributed to this.
We detail the weaknesses within the region’s economic structure and, in particular, the dependence on public sector and lower value added private sector activities, in terms of GVA and jobs, and the limited representation of high value added, knowledge-based sectors.
We also highlight the low rates of productivity in many of the sectors that dominate the regional economy and assess the skill gaps and shortages businesses in the West Midlands face and the impact on productivity and performance.
Continue reading →
52.483440
-1.886297
Filed under: Economic inclusion, Economy & Labour Force, Enterprise, Innovation, Population, Population & Society, Regional Data and Intelligence Network, Research, Research team news, Skills, West Midlands, West Midlands Regional Observatory | Tagged: business, economicdevelopment, economy, elfgroup, employment, labourmarket, market opportunities, popsocgroup, productivity, Research, Skills, West Midlands, WMRO | Leave a comment »