For Organisations and Employers
Migrant workers have become an increasingly visible social group within local populations in South Lincolnshire over the past few years. However little was known about the exact number of people moving to South Lincolnshire to work, or about areas of work which were attracting migrant workers. Little was known about the demands these changes placed upon statutory bodies and businesses or about specific problems facing migrant workers.Integration and social inclusion are other major topics. There is a need for dialogue and understanding on all sides: gangmasters, labour users, statutory bodies and migrant workers themselves. Integration is a two way process: it requires adaptation on the part of newcomers but also by the host society. Successful integration is building bridges between different cultures and societies.
There are a number of different categories of migrant workers who have varying rights to work in the UK. The main categories are as follows:- Nationals from the EU or EEA who have a right to travel, live and work in the UK
- Accession State nationals, who have the right to travel, live and work in the UK by registering with the Home Office for the first year of employment
- Nationals of all other countries: who require a work permit
- Commonwealth Working Holidaymakers: individuals between the ages of 17-30 who can work in the UK for up to 2 years
- Nationals of Switzerland and British Overseas Territories who require clearance to enter the UK but do not require a work permit
- Students from outside the EEA can work part time
- Bulgarian and Romanian students who work under the SAWS scheme for a limited time (mostly in agriculture)
- The Sector Based Scheme (introduced in May 2003)
- The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (industries granted work permits by this scheme were health services, computer services, managerial service, and financial services). The acceptance into this programme is based on the following criteria: work experience, educational qualification, achievements in the workplace, past earning, husband’s/wife’s qualification
- Undocumented workers including people who have entered the UK legally but are working without a legal right to do so
The Labour Force Survey provides a definition of migrant worker as: “a foreign worker is someone who works but has foreign citizenship and a foreign-born worker is anyone born outside of the UK, including British citizens”.
Benefits of migration
Migration brings significant benefits to the economy, society, culture and to migrant workers themselves.
However, migrants who have developed and improved their skills abroad can be participants of the “brain gain” by transferring and infusing knowledge, skills and technology into their countries of origin. In addition, remittances sent home by migrants can be used to sustain development there. In 2003, over $ 100 billion were sent home (world wide) in remittances by migrants, helping to sustain the economies of many developing countries. According to Home Office data, workers from the new EU countries have contributed approximately £240 million to the UK economy between May and December 2004.
