Immigration 'not affecting wages'

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Most immigrants to the UK now come from Poland, followed by India and the United States, a study by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) said.

But the report added: "Nevertheless, there may be some downward pressure in the low wage labour market where (despite their higher relative education levels) many new immigrants tend to find work."

According to the Labour Force Survey, by 2007 12.5% of the UK's working age population was born abroad, up from around 8% in 1995. There are now 4.3 million adults of working age in the UK who were born abroad.

The UK is still "middle-ranking" in terms of its share of immigrants in the total population (9.3%), lower than Australia (23.6%), France (10%), Germany (13%) and the United States (12.8%), the report said.

Compared with people born in the UK, immigrants were on average younger, better educated and concentrated in London. And new immigrants were on average more educated than immigrants who arrived in the past, the CEP said.

Immigrants from poorer and less democratic countries assimilated faster into a British identity, with this partly explained by their greater tendency to take up citizenship.

The report concluded: "During periods of strong economic growth, migration is and has always been important for filling gaps in the labour market. The recent increases in net immigration to the UK are therefore a sign of the strength of the economy. While the UK has been successful in attracting much-needed workers at different skill levels, the proportion of new arrivals is still below that of many other developed countries.

"The evidence so far suggests that, overall, immigration has had few adverse effects on the labour market performance of the UK-born workforce, though this average may disguise some negative effects in the low wage market and positive effects in the higher wage labour markets.

"While immigrants employed in the low wage sector will be exposed to the job instability and working environment characteristic of that sector, there is little evidence to suggest that it is any harder now for immigrants to assimilate in terms of relative wage and employment prospects than in the past."