Standing view · labour_market · Solihull
mixed, held with tentative confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-07.
Payrolled employees in Solihull rose from 96,556 in January 2026 to 96,618 in February, 97,024 in May, 97,188 in June and 97,213 in July, with the first three recorded as favourable against the usual pattern for their months and the last two as unfavourable. The unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in the year to March 2026, and the proportion of residents aged 16 to 64 claiming eased to 3.5% in May before rising to 3.6% in June.
A view is formed only where the evidence names a figure you can check. Each movement listed as a reason had to be large enough to matter and distinctive in at least one way — unusual against this area's own history, unusual against comparable areas, or sustained over several periods. A movement shared with peers counts for less, because it says something about the country rather than about Solihull. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Payrolled employees | 2026-01 | deteriorating |
| Payrolled employees | 2026-02 | improving |
| Unemployment rate - aged 16-64 | 2026-03 | deteriorating |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-05 | improving |
| Payrolled employees | 2026-05 | improving |
| Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64 | 2026-06 | deteriorating |
| Payrolled employees | 2026-06 | deteriorating |
| Payrolled employees | 2026-07 | deteriorating |