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Immigration: Employment

Volume 480: debated on Friday 17 October 2008

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the number of inward migrants to the UK intending to stay for 12 months or more who cited work-related purposes as the main reason for migration in (a) each year for which figures are available and (b) each quarter since 2004. (227937)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to respond to your question concerning what estimate has been made of the number of inward migrants to the UK intending to stay for 12 months or more who cited work-related purposes as the main reason for migration in each year for which figures are available and for each quarter since 2004. (227937)

Table 1, attached, gives an estimate of international immigration for work-related reasons between 1977 and 2006. For all years apart from 1995, these estimates include migrants with a definite job to go to and those who are looking for work. Table 2 provides quarterly estimates since 2004.

Both tables are based solely on data from the International Passenger Survey.

Table 1: Migration for work related reasons—Time series 1977-2006 International Migration, estimates from the International Passenger Survey inflowUnited Kingdom

Estimate (thousand)

1977

31

1978

36

1979

42

1980

44

1981

38

1982

32

1983

34

1984

36

1985

48

1986

45

1987

45

1988

53

1989

51

1990

70

1991

54

1992

58

1993

66

1994

94

1995

50

1996

105

1997

99

1998

135

1999

151

2000

158

2001

165

2002

163

2003

165

2004

215

2005

227

2006

214

Note:

Work related reasons includes migrants with a “Definite job” and those “Looking for Work”. For 1995 only, estimates of those “Looking for work” were included in “Other reasons for migration”.

Table 2: Migration for work related reasons—Time series 2004-07 International Migration, estimates from the International Passenger Survey inflow—United Kingdom

Quarter

Estimate (thousand)

2004

Q1

36

Q2

53

Q3

79

Q4

46

2005

Q1

50

Q2

53

Q3

69

Q4

54

2006

Q1

45

Q2

55

Q3

74

Q4

40

2007

Q1

55

Q2

55

Note:

The figures for 2007 are provisional and may change slightly when data for the full 2007 calendar year are published.