IPPR predicts UK net migration not likely to drop in 2011
Britain’s net migration rate isn’t likely to fall significantly next year, according to the analysis of a think tank.
The respected Institute for Public Policy Research says the overall figure for immigrants to Britain minus the amount leaving should be around 200,000. The biggest reason it points for the figure is that only 31,000 UK citizens are leaving – the lowest amount for nearly a decade.
The coalition government explained that it is committed to cutting back net migration from the current 215,000 to under 100,000 by 2015. In addition to pointing to the current emigration rates, the IPPR report suggests that the strength of the UK economy when measured against many Eurozone countries is more likely to attract migrants from Spain and Portugal, Greece and also the Irish Republic. As has been in the news recently, the government has put a cap on skilled migrant workers entering the country from outside the EU while also planning to stem the number of students that come to study from overseas. However, the IPPR suggests the cap should only have a limited effect as the student restrictions won’t take full effect until next year.
IPPR’s director Nick Pearce commented in a statement that ministers had to be extremely careful to manage public expectations because, while appearing positive, the cap on migration workers living in the UK from outside the EU might hurt the economic recovery as much as other hasty measures will.