West Midlands Employment Rate
Employment, unemployment and population indicators for reading West Midlands property prices and rents in wider labour-market context.
Employment rate
72.6%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.6%
Economically active
Economic inactivity
23.0%
Aged 16-64
Resident population
6,205,854
ONS 2025
May 2026-Jul 2026 / ASHE 2025
West Midlands labour-market context
Employment data does not predict house prices by itself, but it helps frame affordability and local economic context.
Resident population
6,205,854
ONS 2025
Median resident annual pay
£38,012
West Midlands
Median resident weekly pay
£731
Full-time employees
Employment rate
72.6%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.6%
Economically active
Resident population is from the latest ONS mid-year population estimates. Labour market headline rates are from the ONS Labour Force Survey shown in the Nomis regional profile. Earnings are ONS ASHE resident-analysis median full-time employee earnings. Annual pay is annualised from weekly pay for display context.
Compare West Midlands house prices and rents with local income.
The latest ONS and Nomis labour-market profile for West Midlands covers May 2026-Jul 2026 / ASHE 2025. It records an employment rate of 72.6%, an unemployment rate of 5.6%, and an economic inactivity rate of 23.0%.
These indicators describe the official survey estimates for the stated population and period.