Record numbers relocating to the UK
22 August 2008
The British government has just announced its latest statistics on long term migration to the UK. They show that between mid-2006 and mid-2007, 605,000 long-term migrants arrived, up from 591,000 in the previous 12 months.
On average, that means about 1,650 are arriving in the UK each day
Immigration is seen by many British bosses as vital if the UK, the fourth largest industrial economy in the world, is to continue to prosper. One recent study by the University of Swansea predicts that we need to increase immigration by a fifth to protect prevent a population decline and subsequent economic crisis.
The latest statistics also illustrate yet again that the UK's population is getting older, meaning that more working age people will continue to be needed to fill gaps in most sectors of the UK economy. Yesterday's population figures show that the over-60s in Britain now outnumber children for the first time,
The continuing upward trend in immigration to the UK will be welcomed by industrires experiencing the current shortage of highly-skilled people most noticeably in key sectors such as the NHS, public services and the IT industry. The balance now is to ensure that the people entering the country meet the needs of British employers, which is the reasoning behind the latest overhaul in the entry rules of the UK's immigration system.
A UK Home Office spokesperson said,
The Government is committed to ensuring that those migrants entering the UK do so to benefit the UK economy and earlier this year announced its new points based system, which will enable the UK to control migration more effectively. Crucially, it will allow only those people with the skills the UK needs come to this country, while preventing those without these skills applying.
FastrackUK MD, Suzanne Prichard says the latest immigrations figures illustrate once again what a great place the UK is to live, both in terms of the work and personal opportunities it offers. She adds that Australians, South Africans and New Zealanders are highly sought after by UK bosses because of their professional and social skills.
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