Case study - Polish workers

Poland joined the European Union (EU) in April 2004. The EU allows free movement of labour
(migration) between its member countries. The Government estimates that since Poland joined
the EU in 2004, almost 1,000,000 Polish immigrants now live in the UK.

Reasons

Push factors

 Unemployment in Poland was almost 20 per cent in 2004.

 Incomes were four times lower in Poland than in the UK.
Pull factors

 Desire to experience life abroad and to learn the English language.

 Job vacancies in the UK - especially in leisure, construction, and farming.

Impact on the UK

Benefits

 Brings a wide range of skills.

 Contributes to economic growth by an estimated £2.5 billion every year.
 80 per cent of migrants are between the ages of 18 and 35, offsetting the UK's ageing
population.
Concerns

 Tensions between the migrants and the local population.

 Majority of migrants are men aged 18-34.
 Schools, hospitals and other services are put under pressure.
 Property prices increase, due to an increase in demand for accommodation.
 Money is sent out of the country, back to Poland.
 Recent development 1

In June 2016 the UK voted to leave the European Union in what is now referred to as Brexit.
Some media reports suggest that many Polish people are now starting to move back to Poland as
they fear they will not be able to stay in the UK. One report in The Sun newspaper suggested
that up to 200,000 of the 1 million Poles living in the UK are now heading back to Poland, and
this is having a positive effect on the Polish urban areas in what were once declining towns.

Remember that this story may be biased or inaccurate. The Sun newspaper report is based on a
journalist’s findings and not necessarily on official data.

Recent development 2

In June 2017 official figures released from the NHS show that there has been a 96 per cent
reduction in the number of nurses from the EU applying to work in the UK since the Brexit
vote. Figures collated by the Nursing & Midwifery Council show that the number of new
applicants from the EU fell from 1,304 in July 2016 to just 46 in April 2017.

When dealing with reports and statistics like those presented here, pupils must understand that
different sources suggest various things which may or may not be true.

The impact of migration in the UK

The UK has experienced many waves of migration. Examples include:

 1850s from Ireland, escaping famine

 1940s onwards from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, escaping civil war and seeking
employment
 1950s from West Indies, seeking employment
 1972 Ugandan Asians, escaping political persecution
 2004 onwards from eastern Europe, particularly Poland, seeking employment as a result of
EU enlargement
Today, India is the most popular country from which migrants travel to the UK, with significant
migration from Pakistan, Ireland and Poland.

In 2011, 13 per cent (7.5 million) of residents in England and Wales were born outside the UK.

Migration has both cultural and economic consequences for a country, which may be positive
and negative.

Positive effects

 Skills gaps are filled.

 The economy benefits from hard-working people.
 Public services benefit, eg workers in the NHS.
 Government tax revenue increases.
 Culture is enriched, eg world foods and festivals.
 Immigrant groups boost the birth rate.
Negative effects

 Pressure is put on services, housing and infrastructure.

 Friction may develop between the host population and migrant groups, eg locals may feel they
have missed out on job opportunities because of increased competition.
 Migrants tend to be located together in large city areas.
 Migrant groups may not assimilate into local communities.
 Gender imbalance - usually more men migrate.
Many people also leave the UK every year. Australia, South Africa, Spain and the USA are
popular destinations. People move for employment and educational opportunities. Some retire
to a country such as Spain for a warmer and drier climate.

Migration into, within and out of the UK

Migration is the movement of people from one area to another. The term covers a wide range of
different movements from temporary, eg seasonal movements, to permanent changes in
residence, either within a country or international movements between countries.

Emigrants are people who leave a country and immigrants are those who arrive in a
country. The migration balance is the difference between the number of emigrants and
the number of immigrants.
The majority of voluntary migrations can be explained by identifying a range
of push and pull factors. These include:

 gaining employment
 escaping poverty or natural hazards, eg earthquakes
 farming fertile land
 accessing services, eg schools and hospitals
 joining friends and family
 escaping war or civil unrest
 living in a warmer climate, eg during retirement
 attending university
Sometimes migration is forced - this is when a migrant has no choice but to move because of a
natural disaster, war or persecution. Such a person is described as a refugee.

There are reportedly more than 50 million refugees in the world. Asylum seekers are refugees
who have applied to another country to become citizens of that country.