Look at the West Midlands

The West Midlands region is situated in the heart of England, covering more than 14,000 square kilometres and having a population of 6 million. Just 1.2 million people reside in the region’s rural areas, in 97 market towns and 2,300 villages, with Herefordshire and Shropshire being the least densely populated counties. However, nearly two-thirds of business start-ups in rural areas are by ‘incomers’ into these areas. The labour force of 2.6 million is set to grow to 2.7 million by the end of the year.

Economic growth rate is around the national average while GVA per head is 90 per cent of the UK average, with wide variations between different parts of the region. The West Midlands provides just over 8 per cent of the UK’s total exports by value, while unemployment is less than 6 per cent, slightly worse than the UK average.

Birmingham contains a million people at the heart of a 2.5 million-person conurbation covering the Black Country, Solihull and Coventry. The other main population centre is Stoke-on-Trent (240,000 people). The age structure of the West Midlands mirrors the national picture, with 30 per cent of the region’s workforce being under 34 years old.

The region contributes £70 billion (8 per cent of UK GDP) to the UK’s gross value added (GVA) from a wide and varied economy. The largest sector continues to be manufacturing, with 25 per cent of the region’s GVA and 19 per cent of the entire UK’s manufacturing output (21,000 workplaces and nearly 500,000 employees). By 2015, manufacturing is expected to contribute 20 per cent of the region’s GVA – the highest of any UK region. The West Midlands is the centre of the country’s transport industry, with some of the largest transport manufacturers in the world operating there, and over one-third of all cars produced in the UK made there.

Building technologies companies generate a turnover of £6.7 billion per annum and employ over 260,000 people. Real estate and business services contribute 20 per cent of the regional GVA, and the wholesale and retail sectors continue to grow to 13 per cent of the region’s GVA. Birmingham is the UK’s largest business and professional services sector outside London, employing some 100,000 people, while service industries employ over 1.7 million people (75 per cent of the workforce) in banking and finance, law, accountancy, consultancy and shared service operations.

ICT is another growth sector, with one-third of all UK publicly quoted software and computer services companies operating in the region. There are 13 universities and HE establishments (student population over 170,000), more than 50 FE colleges, eight science parks and two of the UK’s top business schools. Motorways linking the north with the south of England meet in the Birmingham and Coventry areas, and the rail link between London and the north-west of England and Scotland passes through Birmingham and Coventry. Birmingham International Airport is the UK’s fifth largest airport.

Tourism is a strong and growing sector, with 300,000 people employed and 28,000 businesses operating in the region. Other sectors include:

• environmental technologies
• food and drink (from the ‘balti belt’ to Hereford cider)
• unique consumer products (ceramics, jewellery, glass, leather goods, clothing, furniture and carpets)
• ICT companies, including international renowned players
• TV and computer games
• medical technology.

Opportunities and skills shortages

Opportunities exist in manufacturing and service industries such as hospitality, with driving (LGV C+E in particular) skills still in great demand. Nursing, medical and care, public administration, education, and financial and business services staff are in demand, as are skills and experience in logistics, construction and distribution. The proposed expansion of Birmingham International Airport will increase opportunities in construction and logistics. Current skills shortages include plumbers, electrical and mechanical engineers, and vocational qualification assessors.

Employer news

Peugeot, Land Rover and Jaguar all have their UK headquarters and major vehicle assembly facilities in the region, while aerospace companies include Goodrich, Smiths Aerospace, MS Marston Aerospace and Roxel Rocket Motors. Food retailers (Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s) are recruiting with new distribution centres and thousands of jobs in retail and logistics. The civil service is expected to create 3,000 jobs over the next year. ICT companies include IBM, EDS, Fujitsu, Oracle, Cap Gemini & SCC.

Salaries

A rough guide to annual salaries is given below. This is inevitably very general and there will be variations between industries and also in various parts of the region.

Manual £11,000 to £16,000

Semi-skilled and supervisory £14,000 to 19,000

Skilled £19,000 to £25,000

Managerial £20,000 to £35,000

Executive £35,000 and upwards

House price guide

The following prices are a rough guide only to property prices and are liable to overnight change as financial factors in the country as well as in the region affect housing.

Location 2-bed flat 2-bed terrace 3-bed semi 4-bed detached

City £180,000 £200,000 £220,000 £400,000

Town £120,000 £140,000 £170,000 £300,000

Country £90,000 £120,000 £150,000 £250,000