Central and East European migrants are a boon for Britain by John Springford
When economies are struggling, governments find it difficult to resist calls for protectionism of one form or another. The British government is trying to erect barriers to immigration. It has promised to cut net immigration to tens of thousands of people per year, from an average of 200,000 since 2004, many of whom came from the new Central and East European members of the EU. In January 2013, ministers announced that they were considering a negative advertising campaign about Britain to try to deter migrants from Bulgaria and Romania, whose citizens are free to work in the UK from 2014. And in March, the government said it would try to change EU rules that give European migrants access to welfare benefits, to tackle perceived ‘benefit tourism’. As Britain’s economic stagnation continues, it is hardly surprising that the government is pandering to public hostility towards immigrants. Public opinion has hardened against unemployment benefits, particularly for foreigners. And immigration from Central and Eastern Europe remains high, despite the rise in the UK’s unemployment rate. Nevertheless, the economic case for EU migration is strong. In some respects, it is getting stronger, despite Britain’s poor economic performance. And, perhaps surprisingly, the case rests on Central and East European migrants’ contribution to the public finances. There can be no doubt that immigration from Central and Eastern Europe has raised Britain’s
rate of economic growth. But have some Britons lost their jobs, or received lower wages as a result? Several economic studies have found no evidence that this is happening. Largescale immigration from Central and Eastern Europe – nearly 1 million people since 2004 – has made no difference to the job prospects of UK nationals. According to research by the government’s Migration Advisory Committee, it has also had no effect on Britons’ wages, even since the economic downturn. Why is this the case? Many Central and East European migrants are employed in jobs that British workers either do not want to do, or do not have the skills for. And migrants spend their earnings in Britain, which results in jobs for other