PROSPER MAGAZINE: DIGITAL EDITION
DIVERSITY
"Our region is incredibly diverse, made up of four boroughs with their own distinct identities, spanning over 350 square kilometres and heavily influenced by its industrial heritage.
Today, the Black Country is home to over one million people - accounting for one-fifth of the total West Midland population; we have both an incredibly young as well as an ageing population and there are more women than men living here.
The average Black Country person earns less per person compared to the national average and parts of our region have high levels of deprivation. Our populations are very diverse in terms of ethnicity with over a quarter made up BAME individuals alongside communities from many other backgrounds and, for approximately 4% of households, there is no one who has English as the main language.
Over 130k individuals of working age have declared themselves as having a disability or a limiting long-term illness - approximately 20% of all working-age adults.
According to estimates, approximately 10% of the population identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans (LGBT) and potentially 10k young people within the region identify as LGBT.
There is huge power and strength in our diversity. Different perspectives, backgrounds and ways of thinking enable us to better understand the communities we operate in and better respond to the needs of our employees and customers.
Businesses shouldn't be afraid to consider diversity as anything but a positive thing and, at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, one of our strategic aims is to help our business community get better at inclusive leadership in order to help them embrace the opportunities diversity brings."
Corin Crane
Corin Crane | CEO
BLACK COUNTRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
