Birmingham needs to grow its private sector

via Centre for Cities by Dermot Finch

Here's a stark fact. Between 1997 and 2008, total private sector employment across the wider Birmingham economy actually fell by 50k jobs – and over the same period, public sector employment increased by more than 80k jobs.
With public spending cuts on the horizon, cities like Birmingham will not be able to rely as much on the public sector to drive future growth. Adding private sector jobs – especially in the knowledge economy – will be crucial.
We've just published a report on Birmingham, highlighting the need for the city to grow its private sector economy. Birmingham has a lot of assets, but needs to make better use of them – e.g. its young and diverse population, and big pool (over 30k) of research students.
The report has triggered quite a bit of debate in the city. Here's some reaction from the Birmingham Post and blogger Kate Cooper – - plus my comment in the Post.

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