Job growth faster than national average
Job creation grew faster across greater Birmingham last year than in the country as a whole, analysis by the Office for National Statistics has shown.
More than 23,000 private sector jobs were created across the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) area during 2016.
The region’s private sector workforce increased by 3.2% to 750,198 jobs, outperforming the 2.3% average for England.
GBSLEP chair Steve Hollis said: “This region is entering an exciting period of change, with huge levels of investment developing our transport infrastructure, upskilling our workforce and supporting the growth ambitions of our businesses.
“The ongoing transformation of Greater Birmingham demonstrates that this is a highly attractive place for companies to locate and grow – generating thousands of jobs in the process.
GBSLEP had aimed to deliver an additional 250,000 private sector jobs between 2010 and 2030 and has already reached 55% of its target, with 136,605 new jobs generated since 2010.
Hollis added: “It is imperative that GBSLEP continues to support and finance a range of business support programmes to ensure that we will meet, and hopefully exceed, our ambitious job creation targets.”
Companies creating jobs in Greater Birmingham during 2016 included Chinese automotive giant Changan in Solihull, international e-commerce and logistics company One World Express in Birmingham, Norwegian manufacturer Orkla House Care in Bromsgrove, and transport specialist Pro Freight Solutions in Cannock.
