Employing migrants and refugees
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We hope this page will provide employers with useful information and show them the benefits of employing migrant workers and refugees.
Employers experience a high level of anxiety over the employment of refugees and migrant workers. The public discourse around asylum and immigration policy has created a climate of fear and confusion that has masked the fact that the UK has benefited greatly from the contribution of refugees and other migrants over a very long period of time.
“Migrant workers are defined as those people, born outside the UK, who have come to the UK within the last five years, specifically to find or take up work (including both manual and professional), whether intending to remain permanently or temporarily and regardless of whether documented or undocumented” (Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University)
Migrant workers have long been
significant contributors to the UK economy, yet too often the economic
benefits of migration are called into question. However, in several areas
of the UK, reports have been commissioned to explore their role in the economy.
Migrants workers are more likely to locate themselves in urban areas, places
where there is more likely to be work. The present migrant population mainly
lives in London and the South-East. Home Office researches point to the fact
that migration has counterbalanced the trend for the existing population to
move out of the cities. Without the continual renewal of areas through migration,
cities in the UK would be at risk of decline.
There are a number of factors that can contribute to make the work experience
of migrant workers in the UK an unwelcome one. The Home Office research lists
the following barriers:
- language
- status
- paperwork
- gender
- documentation checks
- NI numbers
- re-accreditation
- work experience
- racism and race equality issues
The majority of migrant workers
are in professional or skilled occupations. The most likely sector in
which migrants work is the health sector. Nearly 1 in 3 doctors (31%)
and more than 1 in 10 nurses (13%) is a migrant worker. Education is
another sector, which has benefited from the existence of migrant workers.
More than 1 in 8 (12,5%) academic and research staff in the universities and
colleges come from abroad. There is currently a shortage of at least 10,000
teachers for primary and secondary schools and in the short-term it may be
that this gap can only be filled by recruiting trained teachers from other
countries. In construction, the Construction Industry Training Board
estimates that 349,000 workers will be needed over the next few years just
to replace the existing workforce, which will shrink due to retirements.
At the other end of the scale are the jobs in domestic private households,
in the catering sector and in agriculture. According to a research led
by the Centre for Migration Policy & Research, University of Oxford, domestic
work in private households is one of the largest employment sectors for migrant
women entering the UK. Most are undocumented workers, which means they do
not have the right to work in the UK and therefore they are not included within
the official statistics of migrant labour.
70% of catering jobs in London are carried out by migrants, yet there is still
a shortage of labour. 4 in 10 London employers within this sector say that
they currently have recruitment difficulties. In agriculture the problems
are the same. There is a significant shortfall of labour, in part because
the work is often seasonal and is not seen by UK workers as financially rewarding.
At present more than 15,000 Eastern Europeans come each year, under a special
work permit scheme, to work in the sector.
Companies have found that migrant workers can meet their needs. This improves
both the performance of individual companies and the general competitiveness.
Migrants labour not only take on jobs which the indigenous labour force
is unable or unwilling to do; it also is a net contributor to the economy.
The Home Office has estimated that migrants in the UK contribute 10%
more in revenue that they receive in benefits. “If there were no foreign-born
people in the UK – the Home Office report states – taxes would have
to rise or expenditure would have to be cut”.
They also have a higher level of educational achievement than in the population
overall. Around 18% of migrant workers are educated to degree level, compared
to the 13% of the UK born.
Two thirds of demand for migrant labour is for skilled or professional workers.
The Highly Skilled Migrants Programme has been a success because it gives
applicants transparency in the immigration process, and it spreads the benefits
of highly skilled migration to smaller enterprises - who often do not have
the resources to sponsor a work permit, or seek employees abroad.
On the other hand, migrants are allowed to come to the UK to take on low-skilled
jobs in sectors of labour shortage. The Worker Registration Scheme has shown
the success of migration from the new EU Member States, with an employment
rate above 95%.
Wage inflation remains at 4.3%, and there is little evidence of UK workers
having their wages undermined. Some people may worry that migrant labour could
take away jobs from existing UK workers, but this is not how it works. Today’s
global economy necessitates a more liberal attitude towards immigration. There
is little evidence that native workers are harmed by migration. Migrant
workers both create new businesses and fill labour market gaps. The Home Office
research has found that rather than take jobs, migrants create them. The migration
of workers into a particular sector allows that sector to expand. Migrant
workers can offer the skills, experience and knowledge that companies need.
Ensuring that migrants are fully integrated into society is vital – employment
is a key factor in achieving this.
Managed emigration can also boost the economy of the country of origin through
capital sent back. Working in the UK enables people to develop skills which
they can take home with them. Therefore, it is important that migrants are
integrated quickly and efficiently, to ensure that they can achieve their
full potential. Illegal working puts migrant at risk of exploitation and damages
the competitiveness of law-abiding firms.
The 1951 Convention defines a refugee as a person who,
“owing to a well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”
A person who has applied for asylum
and is considered by the Home Office to meet the above conditions is awarded
the Refugee Status. Refugees have full employment rights, can claim benefits
and take part in government-funded programmes, for example for the unemployed.
There is also a category of people whose asylum claim is not successful, but
who are granted leave to remain on the basis of their protection needs. This
system is called Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave and people
who have been granted it also have the right to mainstream benefits and employment
support, and are entitled to work.
Once refugee status is granted, business supports efforts to utilise the skills
of refugees, many of whom are well educated. Integration of the refugee population
benefits local communities as well as the economy and employment. However,
refugees as a group tend to have high unemployment rates. Underemployment
is also a serious problem, with people regularly working in jobs which do
not utilise their skills. Barriers to employment can include the following:
- lack of language skills
- lack of qualifications
- lack of work experience
- problems of trust
- bureaucratic application process
- offers of training may appear patronising
Employers’ concerns about
recruiting people of refugee status relate to issues such as establishing
refugees’ legal status and right to work, assessing overseas qualifications,
and the level of English language skills. Many employers highlight the issue
of checking documentation as a potential barrier to recruiting refugees. Such
documentation includes evidence of permission to stay in the UK (and therefore
work), as well as evidence of job qualifications and references. The time
involved in undertaking such checks is undoubtedly a deterrent for some employers.
The second major issue is that of English language skills of refugee job applicants.
Measures can be taken by the same employers to overcome these barriers.
These include providing work placements, setting up induction and English
language schemes, and allocating resources to deal effectively with the documentation.
Employers have much to gain from fully utilising the skills and experience
of refugees. Access to highly skilled workers (many educated to degree
level) would benefit business and help to integrate refugees.
Bibliography
- Survey report: EMPLOYING REFUGEES.
A survey of refugee employment practices within the ECRE Member Agencies.
2001/2002
Click here
to read it
- Employing migrant workers –
key issues for employers, CBI
Click
here to read it
- Employing Refugees: Some Organisations’
Experiences, Institute for Employment Studies
Click
here to read it
- Migrant workers: a TUC guide, published by Trades Union Congress, London, January 2002
- www.employingmigrantworkers.org.uk
- http://www.employabilityforum.co.uk
- http://www.nrcentre.org.uk/index.htm
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