Current sector employment in the West Midlands is estimated to be around 41,400 employees, accounting for 7% of the UK Cogent sector workforce. These levels are expected to decline by 4,000 in 2014, which is comparable to other regions.

There are 1,963 employers in the region which are predominately in the polymer and chemical industries, which play a key role in the automotive sector. The polymer industry is primarily located in Shropshire and the Black Country.

69% of employers employ fewer than 10 people, which is much lower than the regional figure of 82%.

Data from the Labour Force Survey for the region’s sectoral workforce are variable so some caution is required for the following workforce profile data:

• 12% of the workforce is aged 16-24 years, compared to 10% nationally
• 42% of the workforce is over 45 years, compared to 40% nationally
• approximately 79% of the sector workforce is male, compared to 74% nationally
• 92% of the workforce is white
• the proportion of the workforce with higher level qualifications (40%) compared to 48% of the region’s economy

The occupational structure of the sector is expected to remain fairly stable over the next 10 years. With the exception of operatives and elementary level occupations which are projected to decline by 3%.

In the region, 22% of employers in the sector reported vacancies; 16% of employers with vacancies reported them to be hard-to-fill vacancies and 6% of employers found these to be skills related.  30% of employers reported a skills gap within their workforce.  66% of employers in the sector provide training, but a lack of funding and a lack of appropriate courses were frequently reported as barriers to training.

Source: Cogent Sector Skill Needs Assessment 2006