Migrant men beat locals in job market

FOREIGNERS are more likely to have jobs in the UK than British workers, according to a major new study that reveals Britain to be one of the most attractive countries in the world for migrants.

According to a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the employment rate for male workers from overseas has now overtaken that of British natives.

David Cameron has been criticised for his failure to get net migration below 100,000 despite it being a manifesto pledge five years ago to do so.

Instead, i mmigration has soared, with official statistics showing that last year 318,000 more people moved to Britain than left – a 10-year high. The new report by the OECD shows that the UK is now one of the leading destinations in the world for foreigners seeking to start a new life.

It discloses that the proportion of immigrants with degrees has doubled in just six years to nearly 50 per cent.

And it reveals that the children of poor migrants are far more likely to flourish in a British school than they would in other EU nations such as France or Germany. The report also shows that the UK now has one of the highest rates in the world of migrants who have started their own businesses.

It reveals how migrants – historically the first to be laid off in a recession – have weathered the downturn far better than their native counterparts.

Between 2006 and 2012 the employment rate for foreign-born men fell slightly from 78 per cent to 77.8 per cent as the economy contracted.

In the same period, the employment rate for men born in the UK fell much more sharply from 79.4 per cent to 76.7 per cent.

Douglas Carswell, the UKIP MP, said: “This suggests that, if we are such an attractive place to come to, we should be able to be more selective.

“At the moment a talented teacher from Singapore or a doctor from India finds it hard to come – but someone with no skills from the EU would have an automatic right.

“People are concerned about the chaotic, inconsistent immigration system that breeds distrust – not individual immigrants.”

Peter Bone, the Tory MP for Wellingborough, said: “This report strengthens the case for real immigration control.

“The British people know that immigrants work hard. But the numbers are too high, it puts pressure on society, and when my constituents can’t get a doctors’ appointment for three weeks, it is a problem.”

Mr Cameron wants to cut inwork benefits paid to migrants from the EU. He believes he can overcome fierce opposition from Poland, Romania and Belgium by pointing out how a “brain drain” of the brightest and best is undermining their long-term prospects.

The OECD figures appear to confirm this, and show a dramatic jump in highly qualified graduates settling in Britain. Some 48 per

cent of migrants now have degrees, compared with 25 per cent in 2006.

Only Luxembourg – a tiny state highly dependent on immigration – and Australia, Canada and New Zealand which have strict, points-based immigration laws, have a higher rate.

The data also suggest that the children of migrants are more likely to succeed at school than they would in other countries. Aged 15, children born abroad lag only marginally behind their classmates whose parents were born in the UK. Using the PISA system of international testing of literacy, the gap is six points, or 455 to 461 Only six countries of the 34 have a smaller gap. In France, the gap is 53 points, in Ger- many it is 27 and in Finland 103. Children who were born in Britain but whose parents were migrants outperform their native counterparts by 19 points. By contrast, the off-spring of migrants in France and Germany fall behind.

Immigrants are also far more likely to start a business in Britain, with 16 per cent becoming self-employed entrepreneurs. Of countries with a significant immigrant population, only Canada has a higher rate – while in America the figure is around 12 per cent.

Migrants are more likely than native Britons to run their own firm.

Immigrants are also more likely to find work in the public sector.

Around 38 per cent of migrants work for the government in Britain.