Official figures have revealed a significant shift in the UK’s employment landscape, with Indian and Nigerian nationals filling more jobs than UK citizens between 2019 and 2023. The data, released by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) through a Freedom of Information request, highlights the impact of Britain’s post-Brexit migration system on the workforce.
According to the figures, there was a notable increase in employment among Indian nationals, who saw a rise of 487,900 jobs over the period. Nigerian nationals experienced a growth of 278,700 employments, while UK nationals saw an increase of 257,000 jobs. This trend contributes to the broader picture of an overall increase of 1.481 million employments in the UK, with 1.465 million of these positions filled by individuals from outside the European Union (EU).
In contrast, the number of jobs held by EU nationals in the UK decreased by 241,600 between December 2019 and December 2023. This decline is attributed to the new migration system implemented post-Brexit, which has imposed stricter regulations on EU workers while easing entry for individuals from other parts of the world.
Tory MP Neil O’Brien, who requested the data, described the findings as indicative of ‘extraordinary changes’ since the new migration rules came into effect in January 2021. Writing in a blog post, O’Brien noted, “There is no lump of labour, and whatever the other pros and cons of migration, there is no fixed number of jobs that migrants are competing for. But it is pretty striking that the UK economy has created more additional employments for nationals of both India and Nigeria as single countries than for UK nationals over this period.”
O’Brien acknowledged the limitations of the data, which focuses on employment figures rather than unemployment or self-employment. The data also measures the number of employments rather than the number of individual employees, as some people hold multiple jobs. Additionally, it does not account for those in the ‘grey economy’ or those not captured by HMRC records.
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Despite these limitations, O’Brien pointed out that the new migration scheme has been more restrictive towards EU nationals while remaining relatively open to migrants from the rest of the world. He called for a ‘rebooting’ of the immigration system, advocating for a shift towards higher-skilled and higher-earning migrants to improve the overall impact on the UK’s economy and public finances.
Ben Brindle, an economist at Oxford University’s Migration Observatory think tank, provided further context to the figures. He suggested that non-EU migrants might be filling roles previously held by EU workers before Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. “The figures show that the number of jobs being carried out by non-EU workers in the UK has increased significantly since the pandemic,” Brindle said. “At the same time, in sectors like hospitality and manufacturing, there is evidence that roles previously filled by EU workers are now being occupied by non-EU nationals.”
Brindle added that the data suggests non-EU nationals are increasingly taking on lower-paid roles that were once filled by EU workers. This shift underscores the broader changes in the UK labor market and the evolving dynamics of immigration and employment in the wake of Brexit.
Overall, the data paints a complex picture of the UK labor market, revealing significant changes in the composition of the workforce and highlighting the ongoing impact of the UK’s new migration policies. As the country continues to navigate its post-Brexit landscape, the figures underscore the need for ongoing discussion and potential reform of immigration and employment practices.
