Immigrants who have come to the UK as refugees or because of family ties are more than twice as likely to see themselves as having a British national identity as economic migrants. That is one of the findings of research by Stuart Campbell, to be presented at the Royal Economic Society”s annual conference in Brighton in March 2016. But his study also finds that refugees typically experience much lower wages and employment rates than economic immigrants.
The research analyses data on nearly 24,000 immigrants who have been in the UK for at least five years. It compares students, economic migrants, refugees and people joining their families who arrived in the UK between 1963 and 2009. The author finds that even when they come from the same country, refugees and family immigrants are five to ten percentage points more likely to see themselves as British and economic immigrants.
The author argues that this reflects a stronger desire to feel and be seen as part of British society. But the study also finds that they struggle more to get a job, and men are around 10-25% less likely to be employed if they are family migrants or refugees respectively. For women, this rises to 40-60%. The author comments:
”The relative difficulties faced by family immigrants and refugees in the labour market reflect their non-economic reasons for migrating. They may also face additional problems with language and discrimination, and with transferring foreign qualifications and experience to the UK. Family immigrants and refugees could potentially benefit from more support in accessing the labour market.”
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? Immigrants who stay in the UK after coming as refugees or family immigrants are more than twice as likely to report having a British national identity as those who arrived as economic immigrants.
? Immigrants who came as refugees or family immigrants also face much lower wages and employment rates than economic immigrants.
? These results are only partially explained by differences in the national origins and the average personal and family characteristics of these immigrant groups.
The original reasons for migration can predict how immigrants will engage with the UK economy and society over the longer term. This research uses national data on nearly 24,000 immigrants who have been in the UK for at least five years, to see how different types of immigrant adjust. Economic, student and family immigrants are considered, as well as refugees. The sample consists of immigrants of working age who arrived between 1963 and 2009.
Immigrants who originally came as family immigrants or refugees are more than twice as likely to say that they have a British national identity as those who came as economic immigrants. This is partly due to the fact that family immigrants and refugees tend to have different national origins to economic immigrants, as well as different personal and family characteristics.
But even comparing those with similar characteristics, and from the same origin countries, both those who came as refugees or family immigrants are still between five and ten percentage points more likely to identify as British than economic immigrants.
The author argues that this higher propensity to report a British national identity reflects a stronger desire among family immigrants and refugees to feel part of the UK and to be seen as part of British society. Since these groups came to the UK for primarily non-economic reasons, their engagement with British society has a strong non-economic dimension. This could be a positive sign for immigrant integration and social cohesion, but it does not necessarily mean that the behaviour of these immigrant groups is somehow more stereotypically ”British”.
This research also finds that those who originally came to the UK as refugees and family immigrants struggle more in the labour market than economic immigrants. Although men who arrived as family immigrants have relatively high employment rates, they are around 10% less likely to be employed than male economic immigrants, while female family immigrants are 40% less likely to be employed than female economic immigrants.
Those family immigrants who are employed also earn less than economic immigrants on average. Immigrants who originally arrived as refugees have much lower employment rates and earn much lower wages than economic immigrants. Male refugees are 25% less likely to be employed than male economic immigrants, and female refugees are 60% less likely to be employed than female economic immigrants. Comparing only those with similar characteristics and from the same origin countries reduces these differences, but the general pattern remains.
The author argues that the relative difficulties faced by family immigrants and refugees in the labour market reflect the non-economic character of their original migration and subsequent engagement with British society. These groups may also face additional problems with language and discrimination, and with transferring foreign qualifications and experience to the UK. Family immigrants and refugees could potentially benefit from more support in accessing the labour market.
How important are the original motives for migration? Self-selection, the labour market, and national identity -Stuart Campbell, UCL Institute of Education, University College London
Stuart Campbell
s.campbell@ucl.ac.uk
