Orders, outputs and jobs fall across region

HERE was another moderate fall in new orders placed with private sector firms in the West Midlands, according to new research.

- TAMLYN JONES Business Staff

The NatWest Regional Growth Tracker also showed further reduc-tions in output and jobs.

Firms have reported that increased global economic uncertainty, partic-ularly related to US tariff announce-ments, is significantly impacting demand across various regions.

This is reflected in observations of reduced client activity and overall caution towards spending.

The West Midlands Business Activ-ity Index - a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined out-put of the region's manufacturing and service sectors fell from 49.6 in March to 47.5 in April.

The research said this indicated a moderate rate of contraction that was nevertheless the quickest since January and faster than the UK aver-age. When explaining the latest reduction in business activity, survey participants remarked on lower sales, adverse demand develop-ments, subdued client confidence and US tariffs, NatWest said.