More than half of new jobs created under Labour since 1997 have gone to foreign workers, it has emerged. The government had previously claimed the majority of new jobs had been filled by British workers. This appeared to be supported by figures released on Monday, despite the government admitting it had underestimated the number of migrants. But it later put out a clarification suggesting 52% - or 1.1 million - of new jobs created had gone to migrants.
BBC economics editor Evan Davies said the figures were "a major admission for a government that has been going on about British jobs for British workers". He said "foreign workers create jobs as well as fill them" and they had benefited the UK economy.
Smith apology
But the government's figures were "chaotic" and they proved it was "difficult to keep track of everyone". The government has always maintained migrant workers benefit the economy, but that the majority of new jobs are still being filled by the indigenous UK population. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith earlier apologised for underestimating the number of migrant workers - but insisted "many more" jobs had been filled by British nationals than those coming from abroad since 1997.
Ms Smith told the BBC: "Of course it is bad that these figures are wrong and ministers have apologised for that, I am sorry about that.
"But the important point is that actually there are 2.7 million more jobs in this country than there were in 1997. "That's more jobs, yes, that have been filled by those that have come from abroad, but many more jobs that have been filled by UK nationals, and vacancies still out there for UK nationals."
She added that a points-based system for migrant workers would be introduced next year to ensure "stronger control" over those coming to the UK.
'Shambles'
On Monday, Labour said 800,000 - or 30% - of the 2.7 million jobs created had been taken by migrant workers. It later revised this to 1.1 million. Then in a further correction, it said the wrong population estimates had been used to calculate the percentage of new jobs taken by migrants. It said 2003 estimates - which predict 2.1 million new jobs would be created in the economy - should be used rather than the 2007 figures. "Of that 2.1 million increase, about 1 million has been accounted for by UK nationals and about 1.1 million by foreign nationals," it said in an explanatory note. The Conservatives described the situation as a "shambles".
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "It is not good enough for the home secretary to apologise. "The government should be open about telling the truth before they are pressurised into it. "Immigration policy has been out of control for a decade and, if you can't count migration, you certainly can't control it."
'Urgent review'
In a further development, a Parliamentary answer obtained by the Conservatives has revealed 1.5 million foreign-born workers have come to work in Britain in the past 10 years. Shadow Pensions Secretary Chris Grayling said: "This situation just gets worse; it's clear we simply can't trust the figures or statements put out by the government on migrant workers in the UK. "Ministers need to carry out an urgent review of how they handle this data and need to clear up once and for all how many people come to work in Britain."
The Department of Work and Pensions has said the 1.5 million figure refers to all overseas-born people entering the UK to work since 1997. It could, for example, mean UK passport holders born abroad who enter the UK to work.
"Yeah, funny how that works - you giving hungry people food they vote for you. You give homeless people shelter they vote for you. You give the unemployed a job they vote for you.
Maybe if the conservative ideology put a roof overhead, food on the table, and employed the downtrodden the poor folk would be all for it, too". - Broomstick
Though I have little to no knowledge of the structure or state of Britain's working classes, I would guess it has more to do with the incentives employers have for hiring people who can work for less and with virtually no fear of those people to demand much in the way of benefits, rather than the regular Briton's laziness.
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot."
Being able to find jobs for a million people coming in and then still being able to provide jobs for a million UK citizens doesn't sound like a terrible achievement to me.
What's bad about this? Labour migrates to where capital concentrates, levelling out the obscene First World salaries or outright destroying First World citizenry jobs? Well tough luck - they had it coming.
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The Guid wrote:That means New Labour still created around 1 million new jobs for non-migrants.
Plus one has to wonder why Migrants get the jobs; is there systemic laziness in a lot of the British working class?
Given that I got fired from one job for explaining working time regulations to the polish workers, I'd say it's more they're willing to put up with shit that is plain old illegal here...
"Prodesse Non Nocere." "It's all about popularity really, if your invisible friend that tells you to invade places is called Napoleon, you're a loony, if he's called Jesus then you're the president." "I'd drive more people insane, but I'd have to double back and pick them up first..." "All it takes for bullshit to thrive is for rational men to do nothing." - Kevin Farrell, B.A. Journalism. BOTM - EBC - Horseman - G&C - Vampire
The Guid wrote:
Plus one has to wonder why Migrants get the jobs; is there systemic laziness in a lot of the British working class?
I've heard Polish craftsmen who migrate to Britain typically provide better service for less money than British ones. I can't say anything about factory workers and similar stuff, though.
I'm wondering if my hearsay evidence has any truth in it at all
PeZook wrote:
I've heard Polish craftsmen who migrate to Britain typically provide better service for less money than British ones. I can't say anything about factory workers and similar stuff, though.
I'm wondering if my hearsay evidence has any truth in it at all
Why wouldn't it? It's true for Mexican immigrants.
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
The Guid wrote:
Plus one has to wonder why Migrants get the jobs; is there systemic laziness in a lot of the British working class?
I've heard Polish craftsmen who migrate to Britain typically provide better service for less money than British ones. I can't say anything about factory workers and similar stuff, though.
I'm wondering if my hearsay evidence has any truth in it at all
From what I hear it's same service for less money. But either way it's an incentive to employ them over British ones.
Member of the Unremarkables Just because you're god, it doesn't mean you can treat people that way : - My girlfriend Evil Brit Conspiracy - Insignificant guy
What little anecdotal evidence that I've heard has all been positive about the quality of Polish workers. This has been about at least semi-skilled work though.
From first hand experience, the Poles can indeed be very good workers in factories or the fields, for instance. But they speak very bad English and that leads to issues if you have a good hard working workforce who can't understand basic health and safety, which is mandatory with heavy machinery. So while their English sucks, they at least got more work done and had a lower turnover of workers than the British agency guys who were mainly chavs who didn't give a shit about, well, anything.
Admiral Valdemar wrote:So while their English sucks, they at least got more work done and had a lower turnover of workers than the British agency guys who were mainly chavs who didn't give a shit about, well, anything.
I've come across many Poles who speak reasonable English, certainly better English than any local Chav and are not such unpleasant company. However I've read a article about Poles who've ended up homeless in the UK due to the lack of surplus labour, many Poles being shifted into cramped accommodaton by unscrupulous landlords (hence why UK censures had trouble counting them), Poland itself being denuded of skilled labour and Cadbury-Schweppes being total arsebags in totally dismantling their Keynsham factory, then moving it to Poland.
Labour migrates to where capital concentrates, levelling out the obscene First World salaries or outright destroying First World citizenry jobs? Well tough luck - they had it coming.
