The exporting strength of manufacturers in the Midlands was among the key talking points at an economic event held by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) in partnership with recruitment and people development agency Katie Bard.
The event, hosted by KPMG, provided West Midlands businesses with a detailed look at the latest results of the GBCC’s Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), which is sponsored by Katie Bard.
The QES report showed that 35 per cent of manufacturing firms increased export sales in the second quarter of 2015, while export orders were also up by 10 per cent to 36 per cent.
In the service sector, only 25 per cent of firms reported increased sales, down from 39 per cent in the previous quarter.
On the employment front, 54 per cent said they were attempting to recruit, although 63 per cent admitted experiencing difficulties in the past three months.
John Mortimer, co-founder and chief executive of the Angela Mortimer group, of which Katie Bard is a member firm, said: “It is positive to see manufacturing in the West Midlands bucking the national trend in many respects.
“Companies are however still short of savvy on the issue of recruitment. It is classic for the CEO to declare that people are critical to competitive edge, and then pass the recruitment strategy to the cheapest available provider.
“People are the critical differentiator and companies need to put their best brains onto the challenge.”
Mr Mortimer, Mike Steventon from KPMG and John Bryson, professor of enterprise and competitiveness at the University of Birmingham, were among the speakers at the event, while Stephanie Wall from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce provided analysis of the QES report.