Six out of ten workers made redundant after MG Rover's collapse have left the manufacturing industry completely, a report has revealed.
Of the 6,346 people who lost their jobs two years ago when Longbridge closed, just 39 per cent have found new jobs in the sector, according to figures produced by the MG Rover Task Force.
Over 3,800 employees have moved into other industries including retail, construction, social work and property.
John Adams, skills development manager at the Learning and Skills Council in the West Midlands - which led the Task Force - said: "The manufacturing sector workforce in the West Midlands is forecast to reduce from 434,000 in 2004, to 376,000 by 2014.
"However, the sector continues to be important to the region and there is a high level of replacement demand for skilled workers.
"For this reason, wherever possible we looked for opportunities for former MG Rover workers to remain in manufacturing and use their existing skills. Where this was not possible, workers were encouraged to retrain for jobs in other thriving sectors of the regional economy including the transport, property, retail and leisure industries."
John Lamb, from Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: "These figures are no surprise to us, they simply reflect the changing demo-graphic of Birmingham.
"It would have been unlikely that everyone made redundant from Longbridge would be able to find work in manufacturing again."
The Task Force report - issued to mark the second anniversary of Longbridge's closure - comes just a week after Tony Blair visited the site to meet ex-Rover workers.
Mr Blair praised the support given to workers by training and employment organisations.
Recent figures by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands suggest that just 260 of the 6,346 MG Rover workers are still out of work, while 91 per cent are no longer claiming unemployment benefits.
Although hailed a success, the programme to support those made redundant has also courted controversy.
Last month, an inquiry by a House of Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee reported that better help could have been provided.
It said employees of MG Rover were offered little help to find suitable new jobs while others were enrolled in inadequate training.
A study by The Work Foundation in March 2006 also found that 50 per cent of former workers thought their current job left them worse off compared to their situation at Longbridge.
The research found many had ended up in low skilled, poorly paid jobs, resulting in an average drop in wages of £3,523 a year.
But the Task Force - which was backed by Government and supported by the European Social Fund - said its research had shown that the majority of workers back in full-time work believed that their new job requires the same level of skills or higher than their previous role. Mr Adams said: "MG Rover's closure was devastating for the local community and workforce and many are still feeling the effects of it.
"However, two years on we are seeing an area that is getting back on its feet. The work of the MG Rover Task Force has been very successful in getting people back into jobs and two years on, fewer than one in twenty are still looking for a job."
