Labour migration to the East Midlands in the current recession

Labour migration to the UK is an issue of high political importance, because it poses considerable challenges to society and government. East European migration following EU expansion has had a major impact on the UK labour market and on certain regions. This paper presents findings from a research project which revisits research undertaken in 2007 on migration to the East Midlands in order to determine whether the nature of migration has changed, and whether the deep recession of 2008-9 has had an impact on the volume and nature of migration. The national origins of migrants in different parts of the region are examined using a range of data sources, including ONS migration estimates and administrative data sources such as National Insurance number allocations and Workers Registration Scheme statistics and the labour market impacts of migration assessed using Labour Force Survey data. The paper also makes estimates of the likely future trend of migration to the region based on labour market projections to 2020 and reviews the availability of data on international migration at the regional and local scale