Abstract
ABSTRACTThis paper addresses the challenge of measuring the extent of immigration to the UK following EU Accession in 2004, and argues that the most commonly used databases (UK Census, Labour Force Survey and Worker Registration Scheme) can be supplemented by the National Insurance Number (NINo) Allocations database, and demonstrates the utility of this data for future research by outlining the geography of immigration derived from NINo. The paper makes three important contributions through the thorough analysis of a data source currently underexploited in migration studies; first that the NINo, when used as a indicator of migration per se offers some interesting insights into migration in the UK, and secondly that as a tool for comprehensively measuring the registration of migrants working legally in the UK, it offers a means of constructing a internal geography of (legal) labour migration, as the paper demonstrates. Third, the analysis also identifies self‐employment as a potentially important missing driver behind EU Accession Migration.
Highlights
EU enlargement and the accession of ten new member states (NMS) in 2004 (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia) and 2007 (Bulgaria and Romania) has caught the public imagination, with concerns in host countries about a potential influx of low‐paid workers sweeping in and “taking their jobs” (Whitehead 2009)
The analysis explores the data sources currently used to measure immigration to the UK, and given the topicality of EU accession labour migration, i.e. individuals moving between EU countries in search of work, it focuses on datasets which can be used to assess the labour market characteristics of migrants from the NMS
We examine the data sources currently used to measure migration; secondly, we describe in detail the use of NINo as an indicator of migration, thirdly, we compare the data generated by Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) with the NINo dataset for accession migration using the example of Poland, and we discuss the issues raised by the analysis and the potential future uses of NINo data both in migration and accession research, and for policymaking
Summary
EU enlargement and the accession of ten new member states (NMS) in 2004 (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia) and 2007 (Bulgaria and Romania) has caught the public imagination, with concerns in host countries about a potential influx of low‐paid workers sweeping in and “taking their jobs” (Whitehead 2009). Green et al (2007a&b) have used WRS data to study recent waves of A8 migration into the UK’s East and West Midlands labour markets, identifying the highest levels of migration in food growing, processing and packaging regions; a summer peak in WRS applications suggested seasonal work undertaken by NMS migrants This rural migration is identified in other research using WRS which argues that a key feature of the A8 migration appears to be a greater orientation towards rural areas than has been the case for previous immigrations (Stenning et al 2006, CRC 2007, Chappell et al 2009). Registrations for a NINo give an indication of the number of working migrants in the UK, since having a NINo indicates that an individual is highly likely to be employed, or seeking employment (Boden and Rees 2010, DWP 2007) This dataset is valuable as an indicative measure of immigration, in that it provides an indication of migrants’ geographical distribution. Poland India Slovakia Pakistan Australia Lithuania France South Africa Germany China
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