Study shows no negative impact by migrants on UK jobs and wages

It has long been held that migrant workers have been subjected to claims of taking British jobs and undercutting local pay but a new study by the Institute for Public Policy Research shows such assertions are both incorrect and unwarranted. The findings come at a time when renewed protests have been taking place outside of power stations in Kent and Nottinghamshire which argue for British jobs for British workers.

However, the evidence of any negative impact is refuted by the study which shows that Eastern European migration to the UK had no negative result on wages or jobs. The study, ongoing since 2004, even went so far as to suggest the migrants may have a small positive impact if any at all.

According to data put forward in the research model a reduction in wages of 0.3% would be the maximum impact on the job market raising its migrant workforce by over 1 percentage point. According to the chief economist for the Institute for Public Policy Research such a large increase in migrant workers would result in around a loss of 70p each week to the pay packet of those on or just above minimum wage.

Far more likely to affect wages are early school leavers. The IPPR findings revealed that a student leaving school at the age of 16 would face around 10% less in their pay packets than those who complete their secondary studies.

The study used raw data from the Department for Work and Pensions and Labour Force surveys but admits the data was captured mainly before the recession. The study also looked at insurance, literary studies and prevailing economic theories.