EU Immigration to UK Tops 2 Million but Care and Nursing Vacancies Unfilled

The number of EU migrants living and working in Britain now exceeds two million, official figures reveal today.

According to the figures, more than a million migrant workers are from eastern European countries, such as Poland, Romania and Bulgaria who migrated to the UK since the EU expanded in 2004.

Combined with non-EU migrants, there are over 3.2 million foreign nationals working in the UK, up by over a quarter of a million in the last year alone.

Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the total number of foreign nationals working in the UK has increased by 257,000 or 15% over the past year.

One in ten workers are now non-British, compared with one in twenty seven in 1997 when Tony Blair came to power.

There are now 189,000 employees from Bulgaria and Romania, an increase of 19% on a year ago, which coincides with the lifting of restrictions on working in the UK on 1 January last year.

Newest EU entrants from Croatia are also being deterred from coming here by a similar 7 year restrictions on working in the UK.

Croatian citizens need permission to work in Britain, which can take the form of a Tier 2 Work Permit, for instance for a Nurse or Doctor, or a yellow card permit to work whilst studying.

Britain’s growing economy is clearly attracting immigrants according to experts.

Carlos Vargas-Silva, of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the reason migrants were moving to Britain was because they can easily find jobs.

He said: 'As long as the EU economy remains weak and the UK economy is strong, you are going to see more people come in.'

You don’t need to be an Oxford Professor to work that one out, but Carlos has a point.

Britain’s economy is growing whilst the economies of most EU countries, burdened by the Euro and EU regulations, have been going downhill for years.

This week in Brussels, Prime Minister David Cameron is hoping to come away with a renegotiated deal and prevent an EU exit vote by British voters in a forthcoming referendum vote.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said there were still two million more people in jobs than in 2010.

'On top of that, today's figures show job vacancies at a near record high - evidence of the continued confidence of British businesses, and potential for further growth in the UK economy.

'Our one nation government is helping millions across the country to succeed and achieve their full potential. I was particularly pleased to see that wages are continuing to rise - meaning that hard-working people will see a real difference in their pay packets.'

Unemployment has fallen by 221,000 in the last year, and long-term unemployment has been reduced by 210,000 since 2010.

Despite unemployment figures exceeding 1.8 million, there are 735,000 UK job vacancies, an increase of nearly 70,000 since last year. 

There is an acute shortage of nurses and care workers in the UK, with NHS hospitals and private care homes crying out for staff. 

Currently, my own clients have have hundreds of job vacancies for nursing and care staff all over England and Wales.

Migrant workers are needed to fill the vacancies, as many British workers do not want the jobs. In the last few weeks I have witnessed local workers not even bothering to turn up for interviews.

If you are an overseas nurse or care worker (EU citizens only) and would like to work in the UK, email your CV.