"We can't let the pandemic knock us off course": Mayor of the West Midlands launches new job plan

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has set out his jobs plan for the region, in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic period on the local economy

With an estimated 100,000 people in the WMCA area falling out of work since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Mayor’s plan looks at how these jobs can be regained in the next 24 months – as well as ensuring opportunities are there for both the younger generations and deprived communities across the region.

The plan is far from exhaustive and does not factor in expected private sector investment as the economy rebounds, but it covers the here and now of what Andy as Mayor and in his role as chair of the WMCA can impact.

In total, the Mayor estimates this plan will get 100,035 people into work within the next two years. Significant proportions will come through the region’s training schemes, such as Kickstart and the WMCA’s Sector-based Work Academy Programmes, whilst we also leverage growth in key economic sectors such as modern services and life sciences, as well as make the most of our three major opportunities – HS2, the Commonwealth Games, and Coventry City of Culture.

The six key themes of the plan include:

1) Protecting what we have

2) Making the most of recent ‘big wins’

3) Doubling down on what was working well

4) Playing to our distinctive strengths

5) Building back better

6) Getting people work ready

The Challenge

Pre-pandemic the West Midlands has record employment levels. The 1.9 million people in work was an increase of 97,000 in just three years whilst the economic output was up a quarter in five years with our regional economy valued at around £105 billion a year.

Andy said: "Coronavirus has hit the region hard, eradicating the gains of the previous three years, but we can't let this pandemic knock us off course."

1. Protect what we have

The impact of lockdown has been felt hardest across those businesses in hospitality, non-essential retail, live events and tourism - the sectors which have been forced by law or in practice, to close for a large part (if not all) of the past 12 months. These sectors employ large numbers of people, particularly those in the younger generation, and have as a result suffered significant job losses.

2. Make the most of recent big wins

Part of the progress the region was making before COVID was in its ability to win bids to bring major projects to the region. Andy said: "Working together as a region, and in concert with Government, we had notched up several major successes, including securing HS2, the Commonwealth Games, and UK City of Culture. All three will be key anchors of our economic recovery, and it is therefore critical we maximise the employment opportunities they present."

3. Double down on what was going well

Mainstays such as construction were sustaining and creating thousands of jobs, before the pandemic, while the digital sector was going from strength to strength. Therefore a critical part of the near-term recovery – and an engine for new job creation – will be ensuring that these sectors return to their strong trajectories.

4. Play to our distinctive strengths

In 2019, the West Midlands to publish a local industrial strategy. The Local Industrial Strategy set out an innovative, long-term economic vision for the region, built around a core set of major market opportunities where we have leadership:

• Future of mobility

• Data-driven health and life sciences

• Creative content, techniques, and technologies

• Modern services

The thinking that went into the Local Industrial Strategy is still very important. Each of these areas continues to represent a major source of future prosperity and jobs for the region – sources that resources continue to go into. Of course in a post-Covid world plans will need to evolve, and take every fresh opportunity to accelerate the growth of each area and to widen the lead in each.

5. Build back better

As the West Midlands continues to emerge from the shadow of the pandemic, a number of longstanding national priorities will return once again more closely into view. Many - such as the need to level up the regions and spread prosperity more widely – have become more important in the wake of Covid. Each of these represents a challenge and an opportunity. If decisive action is taken now, meaningful progress will be made against each, and generate a raft of employment opportunities for our people in the process.

6. Get people work ready

Andy said: "The most important part of the whole plan is identifying how we are going to get all these opportunities coming up over the next 24 months filled by local people. The short answer to that question is one word – training."

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