Birmingham’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 11.8% in June from 12.0% in May, which compares with the UK rate of 5.3%. Birmingham still has the highest unemployment of all major UK cities – Birmingham’s claimant rate of 11.5% compares with the next highest cities, Liverpool and Manchester which both have a claimant rate of 11.2%.

Acocks Green has seen the biggest fall in unemployment of any ward in the City over the past year (a fall of 167) and unadjusted unemployment across the ward now stands at 1,143 or 10.3% (claimant rate). There seems to be a trend that the biggest falls are in those wards (such as Tyburn, Bartley Green and South Yardley) with high numbers of semi-skilled workers, reversing the trend that saw those wards suffer the biggest increases in unemployment as the recession deepened. This indicates that manufacturing industry, which suffered so badly two years ago, is now beginning to recover and take on staff again.