Labour migration to the UK from Eastern partnership countries

Ken Clark,Stephen Drinkwater

doi:10.1186/2193-9012-3-15

Ken Clark, Stephen Drinkwater

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-9012-3-15

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Abstract

Stocks and flows of migrant workers from EaP countries in the UK are relatively small, and flows have declined recently following changes to UK immigration policy and the onset of recession. The demographic profile of migrants from EaP countries is similar to that of EUA8 migrants but employment rates have been much lower. A large proportion of migrants to the UK from EaP countries are highly educated but this has not led to such high levels of occupational attainment as groups such as EU14 migrants. Despite the potential for increased migration to fill skill gaps, immigration policies and attitudes to immigrants are likely to restrict future flows.JEL ClassificationsJ61; F22.

Highlights

The United Kingdom (UK) has a long history of receiving large numbers of migrant workers
Data on National Insurance Numbers issued to overseas nationals (NINos) indicate that there was a five-fold increase in the number of “new” immigrant workers arriving in the UK from European countries between 2002 and 2007, rising from around 103,000 to over 500,0001
The analysis of various data sources above suggests that both the stocks and flows of migrants from Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries are relatively small in comparison to other migrant groups in the UK and that, while stocks have grown between Censuses, the flows have declined in recent years in response both to the economic situation and the tightening of immigration rules

Summary

Introduction

The United Kingdom (UK) has a long history of receiving large numbers of migrant workers. Drinkwater and Robinson (2011) find that a relatively high percentage of migrants from other European countries (including people born in EaP countries) claim benefits in the UK, especially in comparison to people born in the EUA8 and EU14.

Results

Conclusion