Research
The Birmingham Patrons Club sponsors a quarterly economic review of the regional economy which you can download for free below. Most economic analysis is carried out on a national level but this can mean that both regional success stories and areas of concern get lost in the debate. If you have any further queries please direct them to [email protected], thank you.
In this first edition we highlight that though we have only seen marginal growth in the region's economy, it is still one of the most dynamic in the UK with a high concentration of precision based exporting manufacturers underpinning a wider business support and professional services economy. We also see that most regional companies are operating at full capacity and more needs to be done to tackle constraints such as access to capital investment. We also contextualise how budget reductions affecting local government can only be viewed when judged against the exponential rise in local government spending from 2001/02 onwards.
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In this second edition we look at West Midlands manufacturing as the region's platform for future growth. Although output has eased over the previous twelve months, the West Midlands was one of four
UK regions that saw annual export value increase in 2012, largely due to an expansion in trade with Asia. Furthermore, since 2009, at a national level there has been a significant growth in some of the broad manufacturing sectors in which the West Midlands enjoys a comparative and competitive advantage. As such there is cause for optimism.
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