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• Read our Observations blog and keep up to date with the latest reports, research and policy affecting the West Midlands. Recent posts:
  
  Survey of West Midlands' businesses indicates deepening economic downturn
  Issues for the Observatory to take forward…
  Local migration statistics resource guide
  Graduate recruitment and the 'credit crunch'

• 5 January 2009
• We've summarised the issues to take forward in our research programme identified, which were originally identified at our Annual Conference. Please let us know what you think. 

• 23 December 2008
• The winter edition of our Oracle newsletter (PDF, 685KB) is now available featuring the presentations, workshop discussions and outcomes from Better Evidence… Better Policy, our Annual Conference held in Coventry on 13 October 2008.

• 15 December 2008
• West Midlands statistical highlights for Oct-Dec 2008 from the Office for National Statistics Regional Presence.

• 8 December 2008
• New edition of the Society, Demography & Health Bulletin available. This edition rounds up presentations made at our seminar on new and emerging challenges of population change.

• 2 December 2008
• The Regional Skills Assessment 2008 is now available. The Assessment gives an overview of the key issues facing the West Midlands economy with regard to the skills agenda.

• 27 November 2008
• The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement is advertising for two posts in their Research and Evaluation team based at the University of Warwick campus in Coventry.

• 7 November 2008
• We've changed our State of the Region process to make the evidence we produce more relevant to policy makers' needs.

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• Regional Skills Assessment 2008
  
  The Regional Skills Assessment gives an overview of the key issues facing the West Midlands economy with regard to the skills agenda.
  
  Our November briefing on the economic downturn is now available, examining how the current economic climate is affecting the West Midlands in terms of skills and the labour market.

• State of the Region Report 2008
  
  This first report from our new annual series draws out key themes emerging from the State of the Region dialogues in 2008, other research undertaken in the West Midlands, and links these themes to wider developments influencing regional policy and strategy.

• West Midlands Regional Integrated Economic Assessment
  
  The West Midlands is the first English region to produce a Regional Integrated Economic Assessment. It aims to provide an assessment of the performance of the region's economy and of the factors which contribute to it. It also assesses the relative position of the different parts of the region.

• University challenge
  
  Our review of the West Midlands' knowledge economy and the demand for higher level skills, published 6th October 2008.

• Skills performance indicator framework for the West Midlands
  
  The indicators have been updated to reflect the 2007 review of performance.

• Graduate Retention, Attraction and Employment Study 2008
  
  Key findings (PDF, 324 KB) are available from our recent research into graduates and employers in the West Midlands.

• Economic Impact of Migrant Workers
  
  Full report, desk study and datasets are available from a new research project exploring the economic impact of migrant workers in the West Midlands.