Research finds UK immigration benefits economy
July 28 2009 by Mark Johnstone
UK immigration study at UCL
According to a study by University College London on UK immigration, immigrants moving to the UK from new EU countries have contributed far more to the economy than they have taken out.
Some 500,000 immigrants from the countries that joined the EU in 2004 are thought to have moved to the UK. Professor Christian Dustmann of University College says that these immigrants are 60 per cent less likely to use state benefits or tax credits than people born in the UK. In addition, he also found that they were 58 per cent less likely to live in social housing, despite reports that they are ‘queue jumping’ for benefits and housing.
The study looked at figures available for 2004 to 2008, which showed that the amount of money the immigrants had contributed in terms of taxes far outweighs the amount taken in benefits.
The report also discovered that the immigrants from countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic, who live and work in the UK, were younger, were better educated and less likely to have children than native Brits.
Some 90 per cent of immigrant men of working age were employed, compared to 78 per cent of native British men, while 74 per cent of women were employed, compared to 71 per cent of native women.
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