New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of non-EU migrants working in the United Kingdom has climbed to an all-time high, with the overall foreign-born workforce reaching its third-highest level ever.
A report published today by the ONS reveals an increase of 157,000 non-EU foreign-born workers, driving the overall number to a record high of 3.4 million.
The report also found that the number of EU nationals entering the UK workforce was higher than people born in the United Kingdom meaning new jobs are predominantly going to migrants, rather than native workers. The latest data saw an increase of 81,000 people from European Union countries, compared to an increase of just 65,000 native-born people over the same time period.
There are now 2.37 million people born in European Union nations working in the UK.
Since last year some 238,000 foreign-born people have been added to the workforce, driving the total number of foreigners working in the UK up to 5.77 million, the third-highest in history.
The revelations in the ONS report drew condemnations from a leading immigration-sceptic think tank in the United Kingdom.
The Chairman of Migration Watch UK, Alp Mehmet, said of the change: “The reliance on overseas labour continues. A rise of nearly a quarter of a million non-UK born workers, of whom 157,000 were non-EU and 81,000 EU, is astounding. Worryingly, both the Conservatives and Labour are proposing policies that will likely boost these numbers and in Labour’s case, turbo-charge them. That is senseless.
“It’s time politicians gave serious thought to pressing employers to focus more on training our own, raising wages and improving conditions, rather than relying on cheaper, and perhaps more malleable, overseas workers,” he added.
The report comes one day after leading Tory MP Micheal Gove slammed the Labour Party for its position on immigration saying: “One of the principal lessons of the Brexit referendum was the desire of the British people to end freedom of movement and bring immigration under democratic control.”
“Labour is now explicitly in favour of unlimited and uncontrolled immigration”, he added.
Migration Watch UK was quick to point out that while the Labour Party presided over a fourfold increase in immigration, the Conservatives have not lived up to its promises of reducing immigration either.
“With 30 million UK adults advocating a reduction, the Conservatives should really be appealing to that vote. Unfortunately, the majority are politically homeless when it comes to immigration,” Mehmet said.
“The Conservatives may believe that their failure to keep promises on immigration over 9 years will simply be overlooked. It won’t be! The only prospect of being forgiven is if they commit to cutting immigration”.
The soaring number of migrants in the United Kingdom is driving massive change in the country, not least in population and demographics. Breitbart London reported in 2019 of new government population projections which estimated the nation would grow to 70 million people in a decade, with that increase driven predominantly by migrant arrivals.
Britain’s population continues to rise despite record low levels of births. Indeed, the birth rate in England and Wales had fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1938 — meaning that the current birth rate is even smaller than during the war years, when many young couples were kept apart by military conscription and overseas service.
Far from the nation’s continued growth being driven by natural means — more births than deaths — an estimated 82 per cent of growth this century is down to migration alone.