Migration

Migration

1. A8 migrants to UK

   • In 2004, EU expanded to include 10 new eastern European countries with 8 having unlimited access to UK's job market. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia + Hungary are Accession countries/A8.
   • Initially, UK government predicted 15,000 people a yr moving to UK from new European countries. 1st quarter of yr - after accession 42,000 came to work in UK. 2006 - estimated 600 000 migrated to UK.

2. Advantages of migration

   • Enabled faster financial growth + lessened shortages in skills - helped to fill gap.
   • Migrants helped to boost population - good for UK to counter-balance ageing population.
   • Recent wave of immigration added £6bn per year.
   • Migrants willing to do jobs British don't want to do.

3. Poland

   • Impacts on Poland
     • Brain drain of skilled workers seeking employment abroad.
     • Loss of entrepreneurial spirit as those that emigrate tend to be biggest risk takers.
     • Less pressure on resources.
     • Injection of foreign cash as wages are repatriated.
   • History
     • On the 1st April 2004 Poland was one of ten countries admitted to EU.
       • 8 of the 10 were Eastern European – A8 (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia & Hungary) The other two were Malta and Cyprus
     • By law any resident of an EU nation has the right of free movement amongst all of the other member states.
     • On accession to the EU it was anticipated that emigration from the A8 countries in particular would lead to an increase in immigration into more prosperous areas of the UK.
     • Unemployment was higher and the standard of living was lower amongst these East European countries   The UK government predicted an increase of 15000 migrants from the A8 moving to the UK for employment
   • Push and pull factors
     • Average unemployment in Poland of 18.5% in 2005
     • Youth unemployment of around 40%
     • Rural unemployment is some areas of over 40%
     • Unemployment in the UK at 5.1%
     • GDP in Poland was $12,700 per head compared to $30,900 in the UK – average earnings
     • UK were one of only three countries who did not restrict the numbers of immigrants from the A8 countries (the other two being Eire and Sweden)

4. UK

   • Pop Structure
     • 3/4 of all Eastern European migrants to UK aged 16-39 + resulted in mini baby boom with births increasing by 60 000 from 2004-2008.
     • Over 40 000 of increase came from mothers born overseas.
   • Benefits
     • ₤2.5 billion contributed to the economy by eastern European immigrants
     • 80% of migrants between 18 and 35 years old – N.I. contributions help UK cope with ageing population
     • They filled a skills gap (language of government and big business), in reality they took on undesirable low paid jobs
   • Concerns
     • Demand for housing leading to higher rents/prices
     • High proportion of wages being returned to Poland
     • Tensions in areas that have previously not experienced large scale immigration