INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION - Poland-UK

Question 1

What percentage of people in Boston are born in outside the UK?

Answer 1

As of 2011, 15% of the population was born outside the UK and 11% were born in EU accession countries, including Poland.

Question 2

What are the positive and negative impacts of Polish migration on the UK?

Answer 2

• Positive:
  
  • Offset ageing population if boomerang - 80% who work are between 18-35.
  • Work for low wages in jobs and conditions that British people do not usually take e.g. agriculture.
  • Yes, fill job vacanies but still jobs left for British: only take up 36% of rural employment.
  • Cultural diversity and specialisation.
  • Work in agricultural areas and therefore boost the primary sector - 120,000 migrant workers registered in English rural areas between 2004 and 2006
  • Boost the economy in general (arguably) due to contribution to primary sector: £2.54 billion contributed to the economy by Eastern European migrants.
• Negative:
  
  • Largely unskilled - do not boost quaternary industry on the whole. 25% migrants factory workers.
  • Tension created between different cultures - a protest against ‘high levels’ of immigration was held in the town centre in 2012. Exacerbated by fact that many do not speak English.
  • Boomerang migrants take the money they earn away and do not spend it on services in the UK.
  • Increase of crime. Crime rate of 67.4, 2nd highest in Lincolnshire.

Question 3

What are the positive and negative impacts of migration on Poles?

Answer 3

• Positive:
  
  • Better pay: There is 4-5 as much pay in the UK but cost of living is only 2x higher.
  • Unemployment in Poland is high (18.2% in 2005) - not enough jobs. But in UK, unemployment is 5.1%.
  • GDP of UK is £30,900. Better services as a result.
  • Possible to return homen - Sept 2005, less thanb half of those registered in May 2004 still lived in the UK.
• Negative:
  
  • Tension created between different cultures - a protest against ‘high levels’ of immigration was held in the town centre in 2012. Exacerbated by fact that many do not speak English.
  • Anti-Polish grafitti.
  • Few speak English, so not part of the community - live in isolated ghettoes.

Question 4

What are the positive and negative effects of migration on Poland?

Answer 4

• Positive:
  
  • Boomerang migrants can return home, In 2005, less than half of those who had registered in 2004 were still living in the UK. Therefore bring investment home.
• Negative:
  
  • Traffic from Warsaw almost doubled 4.3 million to 8.1 million due to migration.
  • Brain drain - lack of skilled workers.
  • Gender imbalance - wives left behind.
  • Ageining population.

Question 5

Causes?

Answer 5

• Poland one of A8 countries as of 2004. Migration in EU easier due to free movement of goods, people, services and capital.
• Better pay: There is 4-5 as much pay in the UK but cost of living is only 2x higher.
• Unemployment in Poland is high (18.2% in 2005) - not enough jobs. But in UK, unemployment is 5.1%.