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”
Tag: Rebecca Riley
Mobilising the Power of Universities in Levelling-Up: A new Universities and Regions Policy Forum
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. In this blog, Professor John Goddard, with Rebecca Riley, Professor Anne Green, Professor … Continue reading “Mobilising the Power of Universities in Levelling-Up: A new Universities and Regions Policy Forum”
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”
West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 1 October 2021
The optimism about the economic recovery that characterised many indices of business confidence in June and July has given way to a much more mixed picture as we move into Autumn. Recently it has become clear that multiple global issues, such as climate change, port delays, container shortages, HGV driver shortages, Covid-19 spikes and subsequent … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 1 October 2021”
West Midlands Weekly Economic Impact Monitor – 17th September 2021
This fortnight there have been a number of significant announcements on social care financing, latest furlough data and the PMI, along with a cabinet reshuffle this week. Midlands MP Nadhim Zahawi is the new Education Secretary and Michael Gove has moved to MHCLG. As an avowed public sector reformer, this latter appointment could signal changes … Continue reading “West Midlands Weekly Economic Impact Monitor – 17th September 2021”
State of the Region 2021 – The Key Challenges Facing the West Midlands
On the 4th August 2021, WMREDI and partners held an event to launch the State of the Region 2021 report. Rebecca Riley, Administrative Director, City-REDI /WM REDI, University of Birmingham and Head of Research and Office for Data Analytics ODA, West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), provided an overview of this year’s State of the Region … Continue reading “State of the Region 2021 – The Key Challenges Facing the West Midlands”