The UK not such a great place to come and work?
April 30, 2008
On the radio this morning it was reported that a new report out claims that half of the migrant workers that have come to the UK to work from Eastern Europe since 2004 have gone back to their home country, which accounts for half a million workers. This has been attributed to improved economic conditions in countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and of course the most widely reported, Poland. According to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the number of incoming workers from these countries is likely to fall as well in the coming months. One lady interviewed on the radio said that she came to the UK to save money to send home but this option is no longer more financially attractive than living and working in Poland.
So what will this mean for our labour market and economy? A number of UK industries, particularly at the low pay end of the market, rely heavily on migrant workers who, if you believe all the media stories, work longer hours and are more reliable than their UK born colleagues. According to recent documentaries on TV, our economy would collapse if we didn’t have so many migrant workers – so should we start panicking now? Or are we being subjected to the usual spin and storytelling of our country’s leaders and the media? We will just have to wait and see.
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