Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton make up the Black Country.

The largest employment sectors in the Black Country area include retail and wholesale (79,000 jobs), health and social care (73,000 jobs), manufacturing (66,000 jobs) and business, financial and professional services (62,000 jobs).

The Black Country has a strong manufacturing base (15% of jobs compared to 7.5% in England). A long-standing history of innovation means that there are over 4,300 enginering and manufacturing businesses in the area working at the cutting-edge of technology. Local strengths include motor vehicle, aerospace, metal fabrication, machinery and equipment, advanced materials and plastics. Metal production and maintenance fitters, design and development engineers, and maintenance engineers are in high demand.

Administration, business and professional services is the second largest employment sector in the Black Country and is set to grow over the next ten years. Over 62,000  people work in the sector in over 9,500 local companies that offer a wide range of services including accounting, financial and legal services, recruitment and employment services, administration support and back-office services, real estate, project management, marketing, commercial and technical support services. Employers in this sector are looking for people with a range of skills including advanced digital skills, communications, leadership and management skills.

Retail, wholesale and automotive vehicles trade account for 79,000 jobs across the Black Country. Dudley and Sandwell have benefited from government funding to regenerate the high street. Merry Hill has the largest shopping centre in the Midlands and is one of the English locations that reported the fastest bounce back in footfall. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of technology across the sector and there is growing demand for digital skills across all roles. 

The Black Country is also home to over 4,500 building technologies and construction businesses employing around 21,000 people and this sector is growing. 76,000 new homes are to be built in the Black Country over the next 20 years while retrofitting houses to improve energy efficiency and large-scale infrastructure projects will create many more jobs. The University of Wolverhampton is a national hub of excellence for construction and the built environment bringing together businesses and the education sector. Its National Brownfield Institute is a leading UK R&D centre in brownfield regeneration.

The local tourism, leisure and culture sector is made up of 2,220 organisations employing over 33,000 people with many more freelance workers. The Black Country has various sites of interest ranging from the Wren’s Nest National Nature Reserve to canal networks, caverns, museums and art galleries, Dudley castle, industrial structures, parklands and wildlife sites. Major attractions like the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Zoo attract many visitors for days out. Almost 75% of employees working in the sector are employed in food and beverage services.

Over 100,000 residents work in the public sector across the Black Country in local government, fire service, the police force, the RAF, the health sector and education (42,000 jobs). In 2021, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) opened new headquarters in Wolverhampton creating 250 jobs in the city. MHCLG is predicted to create 500 jobs additional jobs by 2025, so you can expect demand for senior civil servant jobs and highly qualified roles in policy development and planning.

Health and social care represents one of the largest employment sectors in the Black Country with 73,000 people working across local hospitals, social care services and residential care homes. There are many job opportunities in the sector as nurses, social workers, care workers, care managers and roles in patient care are all in high demand.

Key Local Employers

The NHS is the main employer in the Black Country, followed by the four local authorities and the University of Wolverhampton. Other key local employers include: