Migrants in Britain - the official verdict

Migrants are more reliable and harder working than British-born workers and are boosting economic output by £6 billion a year, according to a government study published yesterday.

Immigrants have a better work ethic than the British and are willing to work longer hours with less time off sick. Weekly mean earnings of migrants are also £60 higher than their UK counterparts.

But while large numbers of migrants bring overall economic benefits, their arrival may be hitting the wage levels of the unskilled, the study found.

However, a separate Home Office report issued last night found concerns in the regions over the impact of record levels of immigration on crime, education, housing and health. Half the areas consulted said migrants were putting pressure on private accommodation, leading to higher rents.

Other areas said that migrants were increasing the caseloads of GPs and increasing low-level crime and antisocial behaviour.

Liam Byrne, the Immigration Minister, welcomed the economic contribution of migrants but admitted that the scale of change had unsettled parts of the country.

He said: “In the long run, our country and Exchequer is better off with immigration rather than without it . . . But alongside this there is evidence that the pace of change has been unsettling and has created challenges.”

Yesterday’s report on the economic impact of immigration found that the mean average wage for foreign-born workers was £424 compared with £395 for the UK-born. The study said that business leaders backed the contribution made by migrants. They said that native workers were sometimes unreliable in certain sectors, especially agriculture, hotels and catering.

Source: The Times Online, Richard Ford (Home Correspondant)

17/10/2007