UK workers’ ‘lazy’ label is misconceived

THE PERCEPTION that migrant workers have a stronger work ethic than those born in the UK has been proven for the first time, researchers claim.

A study involving 113,804 people found those from Central and Eastern Europe were more than three times less likely to be absent from work than native UK workers.

But the University of Bath research found that this was a temporary phenomenon, lasting for between two to four years from the migrant’s arrival. After this period, migrant workers’ absences from work increased to levels recorded by native workers.

Dr Chris Dawson, senior lecturer in business economics at Bath University, said: “The study shows that the common view that UK workers are lazy compared to migrant workers is misconceived. In fact migrants are temporarily working extra hard to offset the challenges they face when they first enter the UK job market.

“We clearly see in the research that migrants new to the UK put in a couple of years of hard work, before a better understanding of our culture and job market means they adopt the same work ethic as native workers.”