Birmingham is fastest-improving city to live and work, says study
I wonder how effectively the rural hinterland is benefitting from the growth in desirability and economic success of our “second city”? This article tells us:
Birmingham is the most rapidly improving city in the country in which to live and work, according to a report, as Britain’s second city benefits from falling unemployment and a wave of regeneration projects.
Research carried out by consulting group PwC and thinktank Demos, which takes into account a range of factors including transport, work-life balance, inequality and health, as well as income levels in 42 UK cities, found the West Midlands city had improved the most in its 2017 Good Growth for Cities index.
Birmingham received a shot in the arm from a significant reduction in the numbers of people without a job in the city, as the unemployment rate fell to 7.4% last year from 11.4% in 2013. That still remains above the national average, which stood at 4.3% in August.
The city is enjoying an economic revival after years of decline, which accompanied the waning fortunes of British industry after the second world war. The city is undergoing a facelift, including the redevelopment of New Street station and the opening of a John Lewis store as part of the new Grand Central shopping centre.