Migration and productivity: employers’ practices, public attitudes and statistical evidence

The debate about the economic impacts of migration has focused on the short-run impacts on labour markets, public service and public finances. These have taken centre stage in recent Government announcements and debates about social impacts, fuelled by perceptions of public opinion on migration. The report is aimed at moving the spotlight away from short-term impacts on the employment of natives and on to the longer-term connection between migration and productivity. In doing so it fills a gap in knowledge about the impact of migration on the UK economy, labour markets and workplaces. We have collected new evidence on migration, through interviews with employers and the general public; we have examined existing evidence and we have analysed quantitative data on migration and productivity in new ways.