Report praises migrant contribution to UK workforce

A report by the Institute of Directors (IoD), a non-party political organization that represents businesses, found that employers rate migrants as harder working, more reliable, and more skillful than their native counterparts in the United Kingdom. The report also found that the government immigration policies were damaging Britain's ability to compete in the increasingly competitive global economy.

The poll of 500 employers found migrants outperforming indigenous employees in a wide range of areas. The primary reason given for employing migrants was a lack of specifically needed skills among the British workforce, according to 61% of employers. Only 16% said they employed migrants for cost savings.

Members of the IoD naturally tend to support the encouragement of immigration to the UK. Most members believed that migrant workers had made a positive contribution to the economy and they backed the use of migrant quota systems to alleviate skills shortages, according to poll data.

The poll found that employers are critical of the British government's policies on immigration, with only 13% believing they are effective. 73% believed the policies were ineffective.

However, the report finds that employers are not in favor of total unrestricted immigration, with about two-thirds believing that workers from countries that just joined the European Union should face some limits on their right to work in the UK.

"As demonstrated by our survey, migrant workers provide a vital boost to the UK economy," said Miles Templeman, Director General of the IoD.

"It also, more than we expected, shows that migrant workers outperform across a whole range of measures including productivity, education and skills, work ethic, reliability and the amount of sick leave. Immigration however, should not be left unrestricted and should be controlled on a skills basis."

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