Immigration meant 160,000 British workers missed out on jobs in the last five years, the Government’s migration expert revealed.
A Briton is “displaced” from the labour market for every four extra migrants from outside the EU that arrive in the UK, the Migration Advisory Committee (Mac) concluded. The report is the first official examination of the impact of immigration and showed it has kept resident workers out of jobs. Professor David Metcalf, chairman of the Mac, also criticised the use of GDP for measuring the effects of the influx of foreign nationals as “pro-immigration” because more migrants will logically expand the economy.
The findings are in contrast to a study by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) which claimed the number of immigrants coming to the UK had little or no impact on the number of unemployed. However, the impact and displacement of British workers also does not last forever, the Mac report found. “Those migrants who have been in the UK for over five years are not associated with displacement of British-born workers,” it said. In the last five years the number of non-EU migrants of working age increased by 700,000 meaning some 160,000 Britons missed out on jobs, the report concluded. Prof Metcalf said: “Assessing the impacts of migration is not a simple decision and our conclusions will require careful consideration by the Government.
“However, our research suggests that non-EEA migration is associated with some displacement of British workers.
“Financial impacts of migration are also complicated but considering overall GDP does not present a true picture.
“Instead, the impact of migration on the economic wellbeing of the resident population should be the focus.”
He went on: “Impact assessments must also consider wider effects such as the effects of skills transfer from migrants and their impacts on public finances, employability of UK workers, housing and transport.
“Although difficult to measure, these will ensure we can better understand the effects of migration.”