Nathan

Critiques the way that migration is often presented in terms of national benefits v local costs; argues that there is a lack of research on the long term impact of migration on local communities.1
uneven spread of migrants across Britain, concentration in large cities but increasing presence in rural areas.2
Key agencies (1) Home office (2) MAC- Migration Advisory Committee has the role of determining employer needs (3) MIF- Migration Impact Forum3
compared to other countries long term migration intake in the UK is low, yet short term migration flow is high, and becoming more significant than long term.4
migration leading to changes in both large and smaller urban areas with an increase in diversity.5
Three major effects of migration on local economies: 1) skills 2) diversity 3) size of population and of economy.6
employers like migrants: 1) “hard and soft skills” 2) “bring fresh ideas, approaches and experiences.”7
tendency for the “downgrading” of highly skilled migrants.8
In the long term migration expected to have little if no effect on wage and employment levels. In the short term impact may be reduced by migrants competing between themselves for jobs UK population do not want. Marginalisation of migrants may cause problems as this may encourage a “cheap labour” fix rather than an improvement in technology and in the skills of the existing workforce.9
Diversity 1) widens skill set 2) innovation 3) emergence of new markets, both in the country and overseas.10
migrants have a “housing footprint” that is below average due to the tendency to share accomodation.11
1M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 7.
2M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 9.
3M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 11.
4M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 12.
5M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 14.
6M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 15.
7M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 16.
8M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 18.
9M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 18–19.
10M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 20–22.
11M Nathan, Your Place or Mine? The Local Economics of Migration, (London: IPPR, 2008) 24.