Migration policy, racism and inequality in Scotland

“It strikes me that too often we seek comfort in a Scottish consensus that we are all Jock Tamsons’s  bairns – citizens of a fair and equal nation. We like to think we are free of racism and other inequalities because we prefer that to the truth.  In order to live up to our own [...]

Worker Registration Scheme extended for 2 years

Despite evidence that the Worker Registration Scheme leads to violations of human rights, putting vulnerable workers at more risk of exploitation and abuse, the UK Government has decided to extend the scheme for a further two years. In a press release issued today, Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas was “delighted to announce keeping in [...]

Research: Migrant impact on UK jobs and wages negligible

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has published a new study suggesting that European migration since EU expansion in 2004  has had no negative impact on either UK employment levels or wages – in fact there may have been a small positive impact. The Economic Impacts of Migration on the UK Labour Market study [...]

EU states open up to Bulgarian, Romanian workers

The New Year has brought with it the lifting of restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers in Greece, Spain and Denmark, but a number of EU states will be keeping barriers to their labour markets for three more years. Greece on Wednesday (31 December) became the latest “old” EU member to lift restrictions for Bulgarian [...]

December 18 is International Migrants Day

On 4 December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December International Migrants Day (resolution 55/93). On that day, in 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their [...]

The picture is grim for Europe’s Roma

David Mark, co-ordinator of the European Roma Policy Coalition, writing in EUobserver With global markets shattered and far-right groups gaining strength across the continent, anti-Gypsism has risen dramatically this past year. Living often on the fringes of society, Roma have been the target of racist violence across Europe, with attacks this autumn in Italy, Czech [...]

IPPR Report on The local economics of migration

Your Place or Mine? The local economics of migration This working paper, published 4th September 2008, is the first from ippr’s Economics of Migration project. The project aims to improve understanding of the economic impacts of migration in the UK, and how policy should respond to that migration in order to maximise its economic benefits, [...]

Population: size isn’t everything

Debate about the UK’s growing population must move beyond statistics: we must maximise the benefits of migration, writes Jill Rutter of IPPR. Once again, the release of Office for National Statistics (ONS) and European population projections has caused a flurry of anti-migration commentary in sectors of the media less comfortable with ethnic diversity. These population [...]

Employers, migration and the ‘diversity dividend’ – IPPR

Government, local authorities and employers have underestimated the economic benefits that migrants bring to local economies, according to a new report to be published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) in September. The report, which looks at the local economic impacts of migration, argues that discussion about local economic impacts tend to focus [...]

Female migrant workers and the minimum wage

Report from the TUC of new research from COMPAS: New TUC research published today (Monday 11 Aug 08) reveals that female migrant workers may be more likely than any other group to be paid less than the national minimum wage (NMW). Reports of the abuse of migrant workers have become increasingly common and the research [...]