These figures, which are based on the number of visitors from the area at last year’s show and number of exhibitors registered to date, taking into account travel factors, mirror ONS data which shows that the three strongest regions for engineering employment are the South East and West Midlands. 

The West Midlands has over half a million people employed in the sector, organisers report. The strongest sector for engineering in the UK is the South East of England, with 23% of the workforce working in engineering compared to the UK average of 18%. However, parts of the UK with a lower reliance on engineering are still forecast to grow strongly in creating jobs. For example, Scotland is expected to add 14,000 jobs by 2022 when compared with 2014.

Read the full article on our Inside Composites website