Our economic inclusion team produce a series of quarterly updates on the impact of the recession on the population of the West Midlands. These updates examine changes in employment and unemployment among key demographic groups and within localities in the region.
The third monitoring report (November 2009) (PDF, 1.19mb) provides detailed analysis of the latest available data on employment, unemployment and claimants of Jobseeeker's Allowance. These are analysed according to age, ethnicity, gender, disability and skills, to show where the impact of the recession is greatest.
Key headlines
The West Midlands continues to be disproportionatley affected by the recession. The region has seen larger increases in unemployment and larger decreases in employment than the national average since the start of the recession. However, falls in employment have slowed over the last two quarters.
Walsall and Sandwell local authorities have seen the biggest increases in rates of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants (over the year to October 2009), both with increases in rates greater than 3 percentage points.
We've produced two interactive maps showing how Jobseeker's Allowance claimant rates are changing within the West Midlands. These maps are available at local authority level and ward level.
The two groups who had the lowest employment rates before the recession began—those aged 16–24 and those with no qualifications—have seen two of the biggest falls in employment. The employment rate for young people is now under 50% and the unqualified have the lowest employment rate of any group at just 41%.
Men have also seen large falls in their employment rates although their rate remains higher than many other groups at 72.5%.
All demographic groups have been affected by the recession and seen rises in unemployment rates, but the biggest rises have been for those aged 16–24 and those with no qualifications.