100,000 jobs lost in West Midlands during pandemic

West Midlands mayor Andy Street has pledged to help create 100,000 new jobs to make up for the ones, which have been lost in his region during the pandemic.

Launching his new Mayoral Jobs Plan, Mr Street said the West Midlands is ‘set to see 100,000 more people out of work’ because of the current Covid-19 crisis.

He said the aim of his new plan is to get 100,000 people ‘back on the path to good-quality employment within two years’.

‘But the task ahead of us is far, far more complicated than a single statistic could ever portray,’ writes Mr Street in the report.

‘As with the health impact of the virus, its economic consequences are being felt unevenly across our communities.’

According to the report, Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Coventry experienced a near-12% decline in economic activity last year.

This has led to a knock-on effect for young people who work in town and city centre sectors such as hospitality and retail.

And it warns that the impact of the economic crisis has been particularly severe for BAME communities, with some of Birmingham’s constituencies with a high BAME population – such as Hodge Hill and Ladywood – amongst the UK’s highest for rates of people looking for work.

‘At the heart of my plan for the region was one overriding objective – securing more high- quality long-term jobs and opportunities for people living in the West Midlands,’ said Mr Street.

‘Seeing the pain that came from years of underachievement is what drove me then. Stopping the pandemic from pushing us off course and causing lasting underachievement is what drives me today. Everyone should have access to high-quality long-term employment opportunities, and it is my job as mayor to make that happen.’

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