How migrant workers have helped us all

May 6 2008 by Kevin Rowan, The Journal

LAST week’s report from ippr, Floodgates or turnstiles? showed that around half of migrant workers that have come to the UK since 2004 have already left, most returning to their home country.

The report exposes the weakness in some of the hysterical arguments about the UK being ‘swamped’ or the declining sense of ‘Englishness’ (whatever that is anyway).

Even the first waves of migrant workers were clear in saying that their ambitions were short-term – to learn English, to make some money from a (then) buzzing economy and to sample a different culture and lifestyle to their own.

The fact that as many as half remain is the only potential shock, considering the very different currency values as Sterling devalues, the economic doomsayers and that many migrant workers have been employed in pretty mundane occupations.

There are clearly opposing views around the prevalence of migrant workers in the UK and perhaps especially in the North East, where we have not had a particularly diverse community.

The majority of people, however, recognise that attracting migrant workers has not only been good for the region, but has been critical in the economic progress the North East has made in the last three or four years.

The North East has endured a significant population decline, year on year, for about the last 30 to 40 years. Over 100,000 people have left the region, around 5% of the population as a whole, almost 10% of the working population.

Temporary or otherwise, migrant workers have provided a vital supply of labour to businesses across all industries in the region.

Some migrant workers will look to stay here, and we’re already seeing communities putting down roots in the North East. This is the real success. Our region, more than most, needs workers to come here to work and to live, to reverse population decline and to continue to boost our economy. Retaining 10% of all migrant workers is perhaps another target we ought to aspire to.

Kevin Rowan, regional secretary, Northern TUC