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.
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”.
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.