Region sees productivity soar according to report

The East Midlands has experienced one of the fastest rates of productivity growth in the UK, according to a new report by PwC.

The research shows that the East Midlands achieved the third biggest improvement between 2011 and 2021, improving by 6.7%.

It follows the latest edition of PwC’s Good Growth for Cities Index, which was published earlier this year.

That research found that six of the seven East Midlands cities included were outperforming the UK average on delivering against the public’s priority on transport – and that Derby was the region’s best all-rounder.

Alex Hudson, market senior partner at PwC East Midlands, said: “It’s pleasing to see the East Midlands productivity experiencing positive growth.

“The tracker underlines the close relationship between strong productivity growth, talent availability and high skills levels.

“Skills is a key area of growth for our region, with some fantastic universities on our doorsteps and access to talent across a variety of sectors including manufacturing, technology and ESG.

“Our region continues to attract investment and will benefit further from the investment zones that were announced earlier this year, where we will receive £80 million of support over five years.

“PwC is committed to growing in the East Midlands, using our convening power to bring together businesses and government to make positive changes for the region.

“Working collaboratively and focussing on some key areas for growth, such as the skills agenda, will lead to improvement across the board for the region.”