Net migration hits a decade high as more people move to Britain
NET MIGRATION to the UK jumped to 318,000 last year, according to figures released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The figure, which is up from 209,000 in 2013, marks the highest annual net migration to the UK since 2005, when it reached 320,000 in the 12 months ending June of that year.
However, it is highest level of net migration in a calendar year since comparable records began in 1970. The number of people emigrating to the UK reached 641,000, up from 526,000 in 2013. Outward migration, which has been relatively stable for the last five years, was 323,000.
Both EU and non-EU immigration rose, the ONS said.
“Today’s immigration figures – the highest on record for immigrants from the EU – are good news for Britons. The vast majority of these immigrants are here for work or study, and the bulk of the evidence suggests that EU immigrants pay more in taxes than they cost the state in spending. That means less borrowing and lower taxes,” said Sam Bowman, deputy director at free market think tank the Adam Smith Institute.
“They bring new skills to the economy and there is some evidence that they create opportunities for low-skilled natives to move into more highly-skilled work.”