Wadsworth, Jonathan (2012) Immigration and the UK labour market: the latest evidence from economic research. CEP Policy Analysis (CEPPA014). The London School of Economics and Political Science, Center of Economic Performance, London, UK.
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Abstract
During periods of strong economic growth, migration is and has always been important for filling gaps in the labour market. On balance, the evidence for the UK labour market suggests that fears about the consequences of rising immigration have been exaggerated. It is hard to find evidence of much displacement of UK workers or lower wages, on average. Immigrants, especially in recent years, tend to be younger and better educated than the UK-born and are less likely to be unemployed. They certainly do not receive preferential access to housing. But there have been some effects. The less skilled may have experienced greater downward pressure on wages and greater competition for jobs than others, but these effects still appear to have been modest. Unfortunately we do not know much about whether the effects of immigration are different in downturns. We also need to understand more about how capital and sectoral shifts in demand respond to immigration over the longer run. Future migration trends will, as ever, depend on relative economic performance and opportunity. But we still need to know more about the effects of rising immigration beyond the labour market in areas like prices, housing, health, crime and welfare.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Report) |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/ |
| Additional Information: | © 2012 The Author |
| Divisions: | Centre for Economic Performance |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Jul 2014 14:46 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2023 22:21 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/57983 |
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