Migrant employment
Employment benefits are not just for individuals – migrants bring valuable skills and knowledge that benefit the whole of society. When legally employed, migrants directly support public services, with a particularly high proportion working in healthcare and in care roles. By being in employment, they are also contributing to both the local and national economy through their payment of taxes.
While specific employment data is not readily available, in 2024 the Migration Observatory reports:
- 6.8 million people born outside the UK make up over a fifth of the country’s working population.
- 1 in 5 of workers born outside the UK are employed in healthcare and care sectors.
- Migrants are significantly represented in critical fields like IT and communications, transport and storage, plus hospitality.
- Many migrants in the UK are overqualified for their jobs, with 44% of highly educated workers employed in lower-skilled roles.
Most non-EU migrants to the UK arrive here for work
- During 2023, it was estimated that more than 400,000 non-EU nationals arrived in the UK on a work visa.
- Over the same period, less than 100,000 non-EU nationals arrived in the UK seeking asylum – less than a quarter of the number immigrating for work
Number of non-EU nationals immigrating long-term to the UK by reason for immigration, between year ending June 2019 and year ending December 2023