Produced by the Black Country Economic Intelligence Unit, for the first time this report is now available as an online interactive report. This enables the viewer at the touch of a button to access the latest real time data and intelligence including access to the full range of the Economic Intelligence products including a suite of PowerBI dashboards, interactive maps, intelligence briefings, sectors action plans and much more. The data is available across a variety of thematic areas and where possible, includes national benchmarks.

Professor Delma Dwight, Director of the Black Country Economic Intelligence Unit said: “We are incredibly pleased to be able to share this year’s progress through this new, online and interactive report. I’m proud to say that the Black Country Economic Intelligence Unit is the only research unit that brings together data on delivery and the full pipeline of current and planned investment across the Black Country. This enables us to uniquely assess the real time impact of delivery on the outcomes set for the area and in doing so enable us to support all our partners in ensuring the continued growth of the local economy.”

The 2021 report highlights how the Black Country was performing before the Coronavirus pandemic along with the impacts and issues caused to the area from the pandemic. Despite the ongoing challenges brought about through the pandemic, the Black Country has seen positive progress across all themes including:

• The Black Country had the joint second highest increase in resident earnings across all LEPs from 2019-2020 with Black Country residents working full-time on average earning £27,839 as of April 2020 (5.7% increase compared to an increase of 3.5% nationally.)

• In the Black Country, NVQ Level 4+ qualifications increased by 16.8% compared to a national increase of 7.2%. This is the first time since records began that the Black Country is over 200k mark for people with NVQ4+ qualifications.

• This means that for 2020, 28.8% of the working age population in the Black Country were educated to NVQ4+ levels – highest proportion since records began.

• The number people with no qualifications is now under 100k – the lowest figures recorded ever for the area.

Tom Westley, DL Chair of the Black Country LEP Board added: “Progress across each theme has been hugely positive, especially in such uncertain times, and we are delighted to reflect and share how the Black Country economy continues to grow and how we remain a place where business want to invest and people want to live and work. This year’s online and interactive report is particularly useful in understanding, in real time, achievements and projects across the Black Country and I encourage people to take a look for themselves and see how the data can support their business as we work together to support a sustainable, healthy and inclusive economy.”