UK net migration rises to 298,000

[East Preston Gull]

Its very easy to just say 'close the doors', but there are significant issues with that in maintaining economic growth.

For 1, construction prices in this country are rising at an alarming rate, partly attributed to a shortage of skilled labour throughout the construction industry. If we didn't have an influx of migrant labour, our construction industry would be at a standstill.

http://www.cnplus.co.uk/companies/interviews/we-need-migrant-labour-osborne-chief-executive/8675275.article#.VO9NJkJea0Y

I respectfully disagree. The building industry is not booming. There are less houses being built now. The training colleges are crammed with young British guys and girls all qualified waiting to learn on job. The bigger firms would rather pay for foreign workers who vaguely have some idea what they are doing than spend time and money training youngsters. These migrant guys rarely earn minimum wage so pay next to no tax. Economically, the big firms earn more money but then avoid paying as much tax as possible. The economic effects are null but the social effects are crippling for both british and the migrants.

 

[somerset]

Surely an indication that the borders need tightening,.... something that you won't get with Labour or the LibDems.......

 

[Bold Seagull]

I respectfully disagree. The building industry is not booming. There are less houses being built now. The training colleges are crammed with young British guys and girls all qualified waiting to learn on job. The bigger firms would rather pay for foreign workers who vaguely have some idea what they are doing than spend time and money training youngsters. These migrant guys rarely earn minimum wage so pay next to no tax. Economically, the big firms earn more money but then avoid paying as much tax as possible. The economic effects are null but the social effects are crippling for both british and the migrants.

No it's not booming, but prices are rising dramatically, whether for big schemes or smaller jobs. Many companies do train youngsters, but in uncertain times, how many companies can take on untrained employees, invest in their training but not know where their next big project is coming from. Contracts are awarded and companies are having to find that need there are then. Read the article as it is a balanced view on both the need for training and the immediate need for skills.

 

[BigGully]

Its very easy to just say 'close the doors', but there are significant issues with that in maintaining economic growth.

For 1, construction prices in this country are rising at an alarming rate, partly attributed to a shortage of skilled labour throughout the construction industry. If we didn't have an influx of migrant labour, our construction industry would be at a standstill.

http://www.cnplus.co.uk/companies/interviews/we-need-migrant-labour-osborne-chief-executive/8675275.article#.VO9NJkJea0Y

I really struggle with this viewpoint, since when has Eastern Europe become the hotbed for skilled labour with a culture of relentlessly hard working people ?

I have always found Eastern Europe and its people an intriguing place when visiting, but they are a complex bunch and not as described by the pro immigration lot.

You would think they have an efficiency culture and skill set similar to the Germans and without them we couldnt pick our own fruit, clean our hospital floors and build a house.

 

[Gwylan]

I respectfully disagree. The building industry is not booming. There are less houses being built now. The training colleges are crammed with young British guys and girls all qualified waiting to learn on job. The bigger firms would rather pay for foreign workers who vaguely have some idea what they are doing than spend time and money training youngsters. These migrant guys rarely earn minimum wage so pay next to no tax. Economically, the big firms earn more money but then avoid paying as much tax as possible. The economic effects are null but the social effects are crippling for both british and the migrants.

We all agree it's not booming (that was discussed on another thread yesterday) but your analysis of the reasons is surely wrong. An over-supply of cheap labour would mean that constuction costs are low ... at a time when house prices are historically high. Building companies would be falling over themselves to build, build and build some more - but they're not.

In the article that Bold Seagull posted, the head of a constuction company says that 80,000 experienced workers leave the business each year and there are only 8,000 apprentices being trained. How else can you make up the shortfall if you don't use large numbers of migrant workers?

 

[East Preston Gull]

I really struggle with this viewpoint, since when has Eastern Europe become the hotbed for skilled labour with a culture of relentlessly hard working people ?

I have always found Eastern Europe and its people an intriguing place when visiting, but they are a complex bunch and not as described by the pro immigration lot.

You would think they have an efficiency culture and skill set similar to the Germans and without them we couldnt pick our own fruit, clean our hospital floors and build a house.

This!!
Germany, France and Great Britain have building skills courses the envy of the world!!

The migrant workers who I have had contact with are just good honest hard working people with no official skills to speak of.

 

[El Presidente]

The UK economy is growing faster than the rest of Europe. Perhaps migration is something to do with it?

 

[Ernest]

Once we've kicked all the foreigners out they will only be replaced by the Brits living and working throughout Europe so we'd be back to square one

 

[sir albion]

2 things need to happen fast.

Exit the EU.

End Chain immigration.

Absolutely....The figures are bloody shocking and clearly it's rising and rising.
Can you imagine what this country will be like when we hit the next recession?
The government will have 6 million unemployed instead of the usual 3 million....Most are unskilled low paid workers who also won't have a pension or be abled to save for one.

The future isn't looking rosy im afraid regardless of the current economical climate

 

[sir albion]

A monumental flaw with this broken capitalist system that dictates our lives.

Population growth is imperative for economic growth. Close the borders, **** the economy - lose-lose as far as the right-wing are concerned.

You sir are in cloud cuckoo land as the government have no preparation for what could lie ahead once the boom flops...No strategy Whats so ever.Im concerned about cultural change and the british way of life disappearing forever and at this rate it won't take long...really really sad the way this country is going.

 

[KZNSeagull]

167,000 people entered the UK to take up jobs offered to them. I wonder how much they added to the tax coffers? I wonder how much they contributed to the NHS for example? Funny how articles like this do not mention that.

 

[sir albion]

I really struggle with this viewpoint, since when has Eastern Europe become the hotbed for skilled labour with a culture of relentlessly hard working people ?

I have always found Eastern Europe and its people an intriguing place when visiting, but they are a complex bunch and not as described by the pro immigration lot.

You would think they have an efficiency culture and skill set similar to the Germans and without them we couldnt pick our own fruit, clean our hospital floors and build a house.

Well we've managed for 100's of years previous to get these shite jobs done and we did before the flood gates opened.
Many are hard workers that's for sure and much better than many of the lazy brits,but the numbers flocking in are beyond belief.

 

[cjd]

More people means less housing availability......higher increase in value.......chances of our children and grand-children buying, getting more and more remote.

 

[yxee]

You've got to laugh at labour trying to get on this bandwagon.

 

[sir albion]

I agree that this type and scale of immigration has been destructive to our cultural values and quality of life - but what's the alternative?

I'd suggest modernising the capitalist system, or in an ideal world replacing it with a superior system, but right-wing nutjobs want MORE capitalism.

You can't have your cake and eat it. So what's more important to you - less immigration or the economy?

Great Britain is more important to me and im not happy seeing a huge cultural change thrusted into our faces.
The economy here is mostly very very good as you get a reccession roughly every 25 years and we coped long before the migrants flocked in huge numbers.
To be frank we need to take a step back and get a bit of right wing waving as the british way of life is severely under threat

Time to dump the EU and set our own prices and become Great Britain again...when I walk around its just hideous how quickly things are changing and it's like being in a diffrent country

 

[pastafarian]

I agree that this type and scale of immigration has been destructive to our cultural values and quality of life - but what's the alternative?

it might be shockingly obvious but an alternative to having mass immigration is to not have mass immigration

 

[sir albion]

167,000 people entered the UK to take up jobs offered to them. I wonder how much they added to the tax coffers? I wonder how much they contributed to the NHS for example? Funny how articles like this do not mention that.

Although Apparantly the migrants contributed 20 billion...This is far from true as most are low paid and get government top ups and not to mention the 10's of millions we send abroad for the migrants off spring.

Massive smoke screen that will come to fruition in time im sure

 

[looney]

167,000 people entered the UK to take up jobs offered to them. I wonder how much they added to the tax coffers? I wonder how much they contributed to the NHS for example? Funny how articles like this do not mention that.

Oh look, another one who lives 1000s of miles away who feels the need to stick his oar in and say how woderfull things are.

 

[crookie]

More people means less housing availability......higher increase in value.......chances of our children and grand-children buying, getting more and more remote.

Hit the nail on the head. 300,000 more people, say 100,000 extra homes needed to be built, when we are only building half what we need annually for the existing population. House prices rising as fast as footballers salaries, which also bear no relation to real-life earnings. How about training up some of our still nearly 2million unemployed than bring others in. We simply don't build the infrastructure to cope with such a rapidly rising population, schools, hospitals, surgeries, roads, houses or public transport infrastructure. Britain is too small, relatively and we have very tight planning laws as well which hinders development. House price ownership for the younger generation will be a fantasy soon, if it's not already

 

[KZNSeagull]

Oh look, another one who lives 1000s of miles away who feels the need to stick his oar in and say how woderfull things are.

Don't think I mentioned how wonderful things are. Just trying to add some balance to the debate. Sorry for interjecting - do carry on.