The UK & Labor

Category: Immigration

Population:
60,441,457 (July 2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.28% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
10.78 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
10.18 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Ethnic groups:
White 92.1%, Black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, Mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

Reasons for Migration & Immigration Issues(as of 2005):
With sustained economic growth and historically low unemployment rates generating demand for migrant workers, large increases in asylum applications during the 1990s, international student numbers growing, and more people reuniting with family members, immigration levels have risen to unprecedented levels. At the same time, anxieties about the scale and impact of immigration have also risen dramatically. Fueled by sustained, often negative, media attention on migration-related issues, the proportion of people identifying immigration and race as the most (or one of the most) important issues facing the UK has reached new heights. To manage migration, UK policy makers must face several challenges including understanding and managing increasingly complex flows of people; creating an efficient and responsive asylum system; meeting labor market needs where and when they arise; and, all the while, being seen to be in control of the system.


--Taylor Thompson