Birmingham History never been a one industry city it is the 2nd city in England. Largest local authority district in England. Been a city since 1889 Numerous canals. Population 1.16 million people in 2022

High level of social mobility Fostered a culture of political radicalism Thomas Attwood & Joseph Chamberlin gave political influence unparalleled outside London.

The early history of Birmingham started before the northern textile towns. It was build on different factors. The two main one being adaptability and creativity of a highly paid workforce with a strong division of labour there was many specialist trade.

This generated a broad variety of products. The city was constantly diversifying. It  created a highly entrepreneurial economy consistently  of many  small self-owned workshops.

This lead to exceptional level of inventiveness between 1760-1850 Birmingham residents registered over three times more patents any other UK town or city. 

The modern chemical industry and the ‘new factory system both started in the city. In 1776 The new steam engine was developed by James Watts.

Birmingham is a major financial centre (3rd largest in UK). Lloyds Bank was founded in Birmingham in 1765. The worlds first building society was founded in Birmingham in 1775. 

Modern Birmingham 

Birmingham economy is dominated by the service sector accounts for 88% of employment. The key areas are public administration, education, health, financial & other business services.

There are  five Universities in the city. Major cultural institutions vibrant arts, music and literacy community.

Was the hosted of the  2022 Commonwealth Games.

Some would argue that Birmingham economic prosperity was been damaged by various UK national government policies. The shifts and changed in the 1960s and 1970s, 1980s was not beneficial to the local economy.

Morden Birmingham is a very polarized city. Areas of extreme poverty. It has the highest level of economic inequality that any other city in England. Average unemployment is 10%. 

Still 40% of Jewellery make in UK is made in Birmingham. It has the highest level of entrepreneurial activity outside London.

8% of the population are involved in manufacturing. It is home to iconic brands ‘Jaguar Land Rover’ and ‘Cadburys’. 

Birmingham is a diverse population as of the 2021 census 48.7% white, 31% Asian and 10.9% black.  26.7% of the population were born outside the UK.