[holding answer 18 December 2008]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell dated 4 February 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about the economic sectors in which the 1.4 million additional foreign born workers of working age between 1997 and 2007 are working; and how many UK born individuals have gained a level 2 qualification in these sectors since 1997. (175385)
The attached table firstly gives the change in number of working age foreign born workers in each industry sector. Secondly it provides the change in number of UK born workers who are qualified to at least NVQ Level 2 or equivalent, between the second quarter of 1997 and the second quarter of 2007.
The data for analysing migrant workers comes from the labour force survey. The national statistics method for estimating the number of migrant workers employed in the UK is routinely based on the number of people at a given time who were born abroad, are of working age (16-64 for men, 16-59 for women), and in employment. This question has been answered on this basis.
When interpreting the figures in the table, it is important to bear in mind that the labour force survey (LFS) is not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas. The reasons are set out in the table footnote.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
Thousand Foreign-born UK-born, qualified to at least NVQ Level 2 or equivalent 1997 2007 Change 1997 2007 Change Agriculture, forestry and fishing 16 20 4 138 141 3 Energy and water 12 27 16 171 219 48 Manufacturing 302 415 113 2,211 1,856 -355 Construction 81 181 100 1,045 1,228 183 Distribution hotels and restaurants 418 664 246 1,725 2,087 363 Transport and communication 126 252 126 606 782 176 Finance and Business Services 330 642 312 1,963 2,596 633 Education, health and public admin 475 859 384 3,466 4,980 1,514 Other services 131 187 55 678 920 242 Total2 1,904 3,269 1,364 12,035 14,843 2,808 1 Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. 2 Includes those who did not state their industry. Note: It should be noted that the above estimates: Exclude certain people who have been resident in the UK for less than six months. Exclude students in halls of residence who do not have a UK resident parent. Exclude people in most types of communal establishment, (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.) Are grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying 12 months or more. Are grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003 which are significantly lower than the latest population estimates as used in the Labour Market Statistics. Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)