Midlands / Wales

Down-to-earth • Honest • Diverse

International companies and foreign investment are among Wales’ greatest economic strengths. Although companies that are not UK-owned account for only a very small proportion of businesses operating in Wales (as of 2025), they are responsible for a significant share of employment in the country. Current data shows that foreign-owned companies represent around 0.7% of businesses in Wales, but account for approximately 15.9% of employment.

These figures demonstrate not only the significant contribution that international businesses make to the Welsh economy, but also underline Wales’ position as an attractive destination for companies looking to establish operations in the United Kingdom. In the 2025/26 financial year, Wales continued to attract a strong number of foreign direct investment projects, supporting the creation and safeguarding of jobs across the country.

Wales also benefits from the international reputation of one of its major cities, with Cardiff continuing to rank among the leading UK cities for attracting foreign direct investment.

EXPERTISE The trade relationship between Wales and Germany is far from one way, with German companies employing over 12,000 Welsh workers in some 70 companies ranging from supermarkets to bus companies and renewable energy providers. BUSINESS AREAS The economy of the Midlands is diverse in structure. The largest sector is the service sector, which employs around 50% of the workforce. Other important industries include manufacturing and production, with approximately 10%, retail and trade with around 10%, administration and public services with about 10%, as well as the construction sector with roughly 8%. In addition, the fields of technology, research, and information and communication technology (ICT) are becoming increasingly important. The Midlands therefore combine their traditional strengths in industry and automotive manufacturing with a growing modern service and technology sector. WALES Wales has a population of approximately 3.19 million people (mid-2024). The country’s labour force consists of around 1.5 million people. Approximately 26% of employees work in the public sector, representing around 334,500 public sector employees. The highest concentration of public sector employment is found in the capital city, Cardiff. In 2024, Wales’ gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at approximately £85 billion in nominal terms.
Wales continues to have a diverse economy, with key sectors including advanced manufacturing, life sciences, renewable energy, financial and professional services, tourism, and agriculture. EXPORT Germany is the single largest destination for Welsh exports with 18% of the country’s EU exports going to Germany. The six main Welsh exports in goods to Germany are (in this order) transport equipment, road vehicles, electric machinery, iron and steel, medicinal and pharmaceutical products, power generating machinery and equipment.
MIDLANDS According to the EY 2020 UK Attractiveness Survey, The Midlands is the most attractive region of the UK for FDI projects with four of its cities being found among the top 10 cities for FDI Projects outside of London. This places the region higher than those of the North, South, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As well as attracting a large quantity of non-UK enterprises, the midlands is also home to a large variety of FDIs.

Services

Business at BCCG

Expert Groups

SHeconomy

Member Directory

Young Executives Network

German British
#Freundship Award

Regional Committee

Christian Kiock

Chairman

Laurence Grubb

Vice-Chairman

Alexander Altmann LLM (Tax) FCCA

Treasurer

Dr Henning Grunwald

Events

No event found!

Contact

We look forward to hearing from you. Send us an email and we will be happy to get back to you!

Send Email