With the release of more economic data on the period impacted by the pandemic, Rebecca Riley looks at the forecasts being built from this data, and what they say about Birmingham. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2022. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the University … Continue reading “Birmingham: Future Prospects – Short Term Pain, Long Term Potential”
Author: Rebecca Riley
West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 11 November 2022
This fortnight, with a new PM in place, leading business representative organisations, including the CBI, FSB and the Chambers of Commerce have called for certainty and stability from the new Prime Minister to restore business confidence in the UK. They are calling for Rishi Sunak to restore fiscal credibility, stabilise the economy and deliver much … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 11 November 2022”
REDI Updates 3: Lessons from City-REDI / WMREDI Research on Levelling Up
Welcome to REDI-Updates. REDI-Updates aims to get behind the data and translate it into understandable terms. In this edition, WMREDI staff look at the government’s flagship policy – Levelling Up. We look at the challenge of implementing, understanding and measuring levelling up. Rebecca Riley summarises some of the key points to come out of our … Continue reading “REDI Updates 3: Lessons from City-REDI / WMREDI Research on Levelling Up”
Haldane’s Dog – The Complexity of Government and the Lack of Spatial Awareness
Rebecca Riley discusses how Andy Haldane’s use of a dog analogy highlights one of the key issues with levelling up. Andy Haldane spoke at the RSA on levelling up, and said “Whitehall has a resemblance to my dog, both have a lack of spatial awareness”. Departments don’t have a clear understanding of their footprint locally. … Continue reading “Haldane’s Dog – The Complexity of Government and the Lack of Spatial Awareness”
West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor- 8th July 2022
This week has been a tumultuous week in politics and is still unfolding as this monitor is written. This will not help the instability in the economy, which continues to show signs of contraction. The latest MakeUK Survey shows exports on a precipice and investment nosediving, and the OBR are predicting the effects of the … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor- 8th July 2022”
West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 10 December 2021
This week we see the rise of the new variant of Covid-19 which could be set to slow economic recovery down. Omicron developed in southern Africa and has now spread worldwide. New restrictions are emerging in many countries. This is leading to mass protests and in some cases violence, as citizens see this as an … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 10 December 2021”
West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 26 November 2021
Globally we are seeing the majority of economies starting to recover; however, the speed of job creation is generally lagging behind, unable to compensate for earlier employment losses; especially in developing economies. Currently, the UN is predicting the global unemployment rate will hit 6.3%, falling to 5.7% in 2022, above the pre-pandemic level of 5.4%. … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 26 November 2021”
Future Trends Post-COVID and Their Impact on Birmingham
Rebecca Riley highlights some of the threats and opportunities that Birmingham and other cities face in the future. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2021. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. It is an … Continue reading “Future Trends Post-COVID and Their Impact on Birmingham”
The Great Resignation, The Great Reset, The Great Reshuffle and The Great Retention
Rebecca Riley discusses the current high levels of resignations, the movement towards flexible working, changing business models and the fight to keep employees. For a number of editions of the West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor, we have been reporting that many sectors are experiencing high levels of vacancies; whilst labour market data shows that unemployment … Continue reading “The Great Resignation, The Great Reset, The Great Reshuffle and The Great Retention”
West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 15 October 2021
This week the IMF has dropped its expected growth forecast for many of the leading economies globally. This reflects disruptions to supply chains and a softening of consumption in the third quarter. As government spending is slowing down on Covid-19 relief programmes, many consumers are reining in their spending, especially as inflation is hitting prices … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 15 October 2021”