Migrants in the UK Labour Market: An Overview

03 May 2022 CategoryDiversity groups and employment Author Umain Recommends

Originally published here.

  1. Key Points
    • The foreign born made up an estimated 18% of the employed population (5.9 million) in the third quarter (July-September) of 2021
       
    • Migrant men are more likely to be employed than UK-born men (83% vs 78% in 2020), but among women, migrants are less likely to be in employment (69% vs 72%).
       
    • Unemployment rates for both migrants and the UK born fell steadily from 2012 to early 2020, but it increased sharply among migrants over the course of 2020
       
    • Non-EU born migrants who moved to the UK seeking asylum are more likely to be unemployed than those who moved for employment, family or study reasons
       
    • In 2020, unemployed migrants were less likely to claim unemployment benefits (27%) than UK born unemployed workers (36%)
       
    • Workers born in India or EU-14 countries are more likely to be in high skilled occupations than the UK born, while those born in new EU member states (EU-8 and EU-2) are more likely to be in occupations classified as low-skilled
       
    • Migrants are over-represented in the hospitality sector (28% of the workforce), transport and storage (26%), and information, communication and IT (25%)
       
    • Employees born in North America and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) and India had the highest annualised median earnings in 2020 (£36,000)
       
    • Around half of highly educated workers born in new EU member states were in low and medium-low skilled jobs in 2020
       
    • In 2020, the share of workers in part-time jobs because they could not find a full-time position was 8% for those born in Pakistan and other South Asian countries and 3% for UK born workers
       
    • Foreign-born workers were more likely to work during night shifts and in non-permanent jobs than the UK born                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          You can read the complete article here.