UK Business Information / West Midlands
The service industry, along with manufacturing, provides employment for the majority of the West Midlands workforce. Other industries, such as ICT are beginning to gain a foothold around city hubs such as Birmingham.
24.6% of the region's population have achieved NVQ level 4 or above.
The table below shows the break down of the West Midlands workforce into core skills and industries.
EMPLOYMENT JOBS BY INDUSTRY (thousands):
|
|
All jobs (seasonally adjusted) |
All jobs |
Agriculture Forestry & Fishing |
Mining Energy & Water Supplies Industries |
Manufacturing Industries |
Construction |
Distribution etc, transport etc, finance & business services |
Education, health, public admin & other services |
|
Dec 08 |
2,301 |
2,319 |
23 |
13 |
304 |
125 |
1,116 |
738 |
|
Mar 09 |
2,269 |
2,258 |
18 |
13 |
289 |
121 |
1,076 |
741 |
|
Jun 09 |
2,250 |
2,246 |
20 |
13 |
284 |
112 |
1,078 |
740 |
|
Sep 09 |
2,239 |
2,237 |
21 |
13 |
282 |
101 |
1,075 |
745 |
|
Dec 09 |
2,246 |
2,252 |
20 |
12 |
279 |
111 |
1,078 |
751 |
Original data from ONS - labour market statistics.
49% of all West Midlands employees are involved the service sector. The largest service industry sector is property & business services followed by health & social work, education and then financial services.
15% of the West Midlands workforce are employed in the manufacturing sector.
17,000 people are employed in the digital industries in Birmingham, making it one of the largest media centres in the UK.
The West Midlands has a smaller financial sector than other regions - only 2.7% of the workforce are employed in financial services.
