In late August, another report was published in the UK analyzing the state of labor migration in the country. It focuses on labor migrants from the former socialist bloc. The report, covering the period from May 2004 (on May 1, 2004, the European Union was joined by 10 new members, including eight Eastern European countries: Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Estonia) to June 2006, was compiled by several government organizations under the overall supervision of the Home Office.
The UK was one of three EU countries (along with Ireland and Sweden) that did not impose restrictions on new members, but immediately allowed them to come and seek work. The result of this policy was that in the first year alone, 130 thousand people came to Britain in search of work. This figure exceeded forecasts tenfold. But fears that such an influx of migrants would place an unbearable burden on Britain's social infrastructure were not justified. In the first year, only 800 people applied for various social benefits, of whom 25 received benefits. At the same time, according to the British Home Office, during the first year of their stay in the UK, migrants injected £240 million (over $500 million) into the country's economy.
Results of the second year
Analysis of migration flows made it possible to identify the following main trends. During the period under review, 447 thousand applications for the right to work in Britain were submitted under the worker registration scheme. More than 420 thousand people received permits. Comparing these figures with the results of last year's report, it can be seen that in the second year, twice as many people entered the country in search of work. Those who received work permits will fill positions where the UK labor market is experiencing the most acute shortage of workers. These include areas such as administration and management (34%), tourism and healthcare (21%), agriculture (12%), industrial production (7%), and agri-food and fishing processing (5%).
Migrants from Eastern European countries also often find work in the social sector of the United Kingdom. Thus, almost 6.5 thousand people became drivers of public transport buses, about 13 thousand people – in the care of the elderly and disabled, another 1.5 thousand people from the former socialist bloc – as teachers and teaching assistants in higher and secondary educational institutions. More than 2 thousand specialists (doctors and nurses) – migrants – work in UK clinics.
14% of all labor migrants work in London, 97% worked full-time (in the UK, full-time is at least 16 hours per week). 93% stated that at the time of registration they had no family members living with them in Britain or other dependents. The number of labor migrants from Eastern European countries applying for various social benefits remains very low. During the period under review, 5,943 people applied to social security authorities, of which only 768 applications were accepted for consideration. It is easy to calculate that over the past year, the number of applications for benefits increased 7.5 times, and the number of approved applications increased 30 times. If after the first year of opening the market to migrants from new EU member states, only 0.6% of all those who received work permits applied for benefits, then by the summer of 2006 this figure more than doubled to 1.4%.
The overwhelming majority of migrants came from Poland – almost 265 thousand people, or 62% of the total. They are followed by Lithuanians – 12% (or 50.5 thousand) and Slovaks – 10% (44.3 thousand).
Uneasy public: 'for' and 'against'
After the report's release, British public opinion predictably split into two camps. Some welcomed the increased number of immigrants from European countries, seeing them as a guarantee of Britain's economic prosperity. Others, pointing to the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union in 2007, demand that the door be closed to an 'uncontrolled flow of immigrants'.
'We must move away from the politically correct notion that anyone who dares to discuss immigration issues is a racist,' stated the UK Home Office, and called for 'healthy and open' debates on the challenges facing the country due to external migration. Liberal Democrat representative Ed Davey said that despite some difficulties, migrants have brought much positive to British life: 'The work that was not being done is now done; productivity has increased, professional vacancies in many sectors have been filled.' He was supported by British Minister Tony McNulty, who said that the whole of Europe is moving along the path laid by Britain. Spain, Italy, Greece, and Finland have also begun to open their doors wider to labor migrants from former socialist countries.
The pro-European public group Business for New Europe believes that Britain is outpacing other European countries in economic growth, primarily due to free labor migration. "The prospects of further migration from Eastern Europe are a reason to look to the future with hope, not pessimism," BNE believes. Even one of the critics of the current level of migration, former Minister for Social Security Frank Field, acknowledges that currently the evidence that migration is harming the British economy is "anecdotal" and haphazard. But he still insists that immigration negatively affects the employment prospects of the native population and cannot be supported at the level it is now. "Paradoxically, it is becoming increasingly difficult for native Britons to find work while the number of jobs in the country is increasing," Field believes.
The British Local Government Association also opposed increasing the number of labor migrants. In its opinion, new arrivals are putting increasing pressure on local utilities, for example, when up to two dozen people live in one small apartment. Moreover, the arrival of new ethnic groups in areas where the non-native population already makes up a third creates additional inter-ethnic tension.
Other migrants
The figure of 430,000 people reflects the number of registered labor migrants from just eight countries. What is the overall level of immigration to Britain? According to some estimates, since May 2004, about 1.4 million foreigners have received the right to live and work in Britain.
According to the Home Office, during this period, migration to the United Kingdom from non-EU countries reached 318,000 people. The largest number came from Africa, about 95,000, followed by the Indian subcontinent countries – around 53,000, and the Middle East – over 15,000.
One of the most prominent figures in the current immigration debate is Sir Andrew Green, founder of the intellectual non-governmental group Migration Watch. In a recent speech, he stated that it is immigration from non-EU countries that should cause the greatest concern for the British government and public: "Our main problems are not in Eastern Europe, but in long-term immigration from other parts of the world." Representatives of Eastern Europe who come to Britain for work will sooner or later return home. For example, according to some estimates, Poland will need 10 to 20 years to reach an acceptable level of prosperity. Due to this, as well as a declining birth rate, the inflow of immigrants from this country will significantly decrease. This is also true for other Eastern European countries.
Nothing similar will happen with migrants from third world countries. As Sir Green points out, their level of economic development will never reach that of Britain, while their population is rapidly increasing. This leads to the fact that migration pressure from these countries will continue to grow. Unfortunately, the British analyst notes, far from all of them will come to Britain as labor migrants. For instance, in 2003, only one in five immigrants arrived as a labor migrant. About a quarter were students. The remaining 55% were their relatives and family members.
But the most sensitive aspect of this issue is the ability of non-European immigrants to fully integrate into British society. As a number of studies have shown, many ethnic and cultural minorities live a life parallel to that of native Britain. "We work together, but from work we go into different worlds," says Andrew Green.