AWM: Public sector cuts threaten rural areas
The region’s rural areas are under threat from the spectre of public sector job cuts, Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has warned. The agency said 25 per cent of jobs in rural areas are in the public sector.
Rural areas contribute 33 per cent of the region’s economy,. A total of 35 per cent of the population live in rural areas and 34 per cent work in those areas.
Other threats to rural areas include a low-skilled workforce, lack of broadband availability and transport.
Market towns have been identified as "enablers" for rural employment but the loss of high street stores such as Woolworths is threatening these towns, AWM said.
Mark Pearce, corporate director economic regeneration at AWM, said: “Rural areas are important to our economy. More than a third of our residents live in rural areas and contribute a third of the region's economic outputs.”
