Jobs in West Bromwich | Pictures of West Bromwich

West Bromwich is a large multi-cultural town in the heart of the West Midlands, with a population of around 137,000. As the major town within the Borough of Sandwell, West Bromwich developed as a manufacturing and mining centre in the nineteenth century and the smoke and soot which resulted from such successful enterprise meant that the area, along with Wolverhampton, Dudley and Walsall, became known as the ‘Black Country’.

And although the regions manufacturers are moving away from its traditional markets, West Bromwich continues to be at the forefront in the development and manufacture of products in plastics and rubber, electronics and telecommunications, food and drink, glass, leather and ICT software.

Then and now
West Bromwich was for centuries an agricultural district, but the discovery of coal beneath the town in the 1800s transformed it into an area of heavy industry. And following World War II, the area boomed when its foundries took on a new role of supplying the booming Midland's automotive industries. Indeed, the rapid development of automotive production stimulated the town’s engineering and chemical industries which still retain many jobs in the area to this day, despite a steady nationwide decline in this sector since the 1970s.

Like its Black Country brethren, West Bromwich was hit badly by the recession during the late-1970s and the 1980s with many local factories forced to close as there was no longer an adequate demand for the supply they were generating combined with the growing trend for manufacturers to look to countries where the labour is cheaper. But there are still a considerably large number of factories in the West Bromwich area which have been regenerated into different forms of production.

Indeed, the manufacturing sector remains one of the most dominant employers in the area with many thousands of people plying their trade within the sector and its supply chain. Arguably the most prestigious of all employers is Purdie Metal Spinnings, which traditionally supplied to the textile industry but diversified into the construction sector to win the contract to supply the iconic Selfridges Department Store at the Birmingham Bull Ring. They supplied over 22,000 domes that were pressed, spun, polished and anodised for the outside facade of the building.

Similarly, there is Cradley Heath-based Genwork (First Mesh) Limited, which supplied mesh panels for the roofline structure of the O2 Dome Arena, along with Tipton-based The Angle Ring Company, which won a prestigious contract to form and bend the steel sections on the new footbridge at Wembley Stadium.

West Browmich and the wider Sandwell Borough continue to rely upon the manufacturing sector to sustain its local economy. However, with the traditional forms of industry continuing to show signs of decline, the Council is pro-actively embarked on a process of capitalising on its strong manufacturing credentials to encourage those industries that are capable of adapting and diversifying into more technologically-based markets, to do so in order to meet the demands of a modern economy.

Of growing importance, in employment terms, is the retail sector. West Bromwich has long been considered to be one of the direst shopping centres in the UK. Indeed, in the 1980s it was ranked 105th in the country and by the close of the 1990s it had slumped to an unenviable 205th. However, a £350m investment fund has been earmarked to dramatically revamp the town centre – particularly Queens Square Shopping Centre - and its immediate environment in an attempt to sustain West Bromwich’s position as the Borough’s leading retail, cultural and leisure centre and stave off competition from nearby Dudley and Walsall who have both recently undergone substantial redevelopment programmes.

However, the distribution and logistics sector, which is indirectly linked to retail, has long been a strong supporter of jobs within the area, with the likes of Nightspeed, one of the UK’s leading companies within this sector, employing around 900 people at its West Bromwich headquarters.

Being the administrative centre for a Borough that has over 288,000 residents, West Bromwich’s public sector is now the mainstay of the local economy, with more people employed within the fields of public administration, education health than in any other. In fact, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is by far the biggest employer in the region with approximately 8,400 employees. Whereas Sandwell Primary Care Trust, the main health and social care employer, has in the region of 1,300 staff.

Against the backdrop of regeneration and inward investment is an increasingly influential financial sector. Despite the fluctuating fortunes of the industry since 2007, the areas of banking, financial and insurance continue to be key employers in the region with the likes of West Bromwich Building Society being one of the mainstays of this sector. As the 9th largest building society in the UK, the Society employs around 800 workers in West Bromwich.

Main business districts
West Bromwich town centre will experience significant change during the next few years. Proposals to enhance the role of West Bromwich as the primary town centre for Sandwell include a realigned ring road, a major new supermarket development, retail expansion, a new police station, college, magistrate’s courts, and the public, which is currently under construction.

New developments will capitalise on the excellent access provided by Midland Metro and encourage people to live in the Town Centre to take advantage of the new retail and leisure facilities that are planned.

In addition to these town centre developments, a large part of the western town centre is within the New Deal for Communities Programme, which has attracted £56M of investment.

If you're thinking of moving to the area, take a look at some of the current property available to buy or let in West Bromwich.

Take a closer look
A picture is worth a thousand words. You can see some images from in and around West Bromwich below.

Looking for local vacancies? See all current jobs in West Bromwich or find out more information on the local area.