Eastern European Migration

Eastern European Migration

1. Host Country (UK)

   • Benefits
     • Fills skills gaps and shortages in laboour market
       • 6000000 vacancies in Autumn 2007
     • Reduces wage inflation, as labour supply equals demand
     • Economic growth as migrants are also consumers
       • £2.5 billion contributed by Eastern European migrants
     • Entrepeneurship, as migrants bring new ideas
     • In the UK, provides a young, tax-paying workforce that helps balance an ageing population
     • Migrants can open new markets: e.g. demand for ethnic foods
     • Encourages the spread of culture and tradition: e.g. Cultural an religious festivals
     • Economic migrants are usually young fit men without any dependents so contribute more than they take
     • Migrants tend to be hardworking and enthusiastic
     • Increased church attendance
   • Costs
     • Reduces wages for domestic workers and, in the worst cases, takes their jobs
     • Low-skilled migrants may not be very productive as they need training
     • Some migrants may be a burden on the state education, health and housing services
     • Some migrants bring dependents with them: e.g. young children and their mothers or elderly people so are not all able to work
       • 427000 migrant workers brought 36000 dependents (spouses and children)
     • Demand for resources, such as housing, leads to shortages, rising prices and higher costs for everyone
     • For Migrants:
       • Exploitation of workers
       • Racial tensions in some communiteis

2. Source Country (Poland)

   • Costs
     • If key workers leave, economic growth may slow
     • If young people leave, the proportion of aged dependents rises
     • Innovation may slow if the young leave, and dependency on remittances
     • Brain drain
   • Benefits
     • Migrants send remittances back home. This can amount to up to 10% of GDP
     • Returning migrants may have new skills they can use in their home country
     • Less pressure on resources, such as land
     • Unemployment may be reduced

3. Push factors

   • Low wages
     • Average earnings: $12700 (Poland) $30900 (UK)
   • Unemployment
     • Generally:18.5%
     • Youth: 40%
     • Rural: 40%
   • Few job opportunities
   • Poor quality of life

4. Pull factors

   • Freedom of movement within Europe
   • UK did not restrict flow of A8 migrants
   • Cheap, budget airlines which offer frequent flights make travel easy
   • Job opportunities
   • Higher wages

5. Background

   • A8 countries joined EU in 2004
   • By the end of 2006 370000 Polish people had emigrated to th UK
   • Many migrants only plan to stay for less than 12 months
   • High percentage of migrants went to Petersborough