Immigration population up another 700k

[Atallglassimdof]

I understand that this country needs immigration but if you import 100,000s of low skilled workers, in their 30s and 40s, how are they going to fund their retirement or pay for their housing?

It just seems counterintuitive to bring loads of people into this country who will need considerable financial support ( housing benefits, pension credits) when they are no longer able to work, and don’t have the means to support themselves.

What mayhem are they causing exactly. Can you give a bit more detail? Which authority?

Calm down. One quick google:

https://pa.media/blogs/fact-check/fact-check-sharia-law-administrator-job-ad-was-for-role-with-private-employer/

Suggest that you check your “facts” before getting in a tizz and sharing misinformation on social media.

The UK “workforce” are very welcome to do those jobs. But they don’t. Our elderly still need care. Thank GOD for immigrants!

There are very many British born people working in the care sector, why is this line trotted out every time?

Exactly. Depends on the particular demographic of where you live in the UK.

It's also such an awful argument when people say thank goodness we can import people to do the jobs we don't want to do. They have that set-up in Dubai. People imported from Pakistan and treated as an underclass.

The British workforce do do this job. Stop perpetuating the lie that we are too lazy, workshy etc.

Yes, we do. I work in the care sector and I am acknowledged to be fantastic at my role. because it's vocational for me. I'm not doing it for the money, I'm doing it because I care about my service users.

The care sector is woefully understaffed, but importing workers from overseas is just a temporary sticking plaster. I notice that on threads like these, immigrants are spoken about like some kind of homogenous bloc of walking compassion. I think it must be the 21st century's answer to the Noble Savage trope.

They're people. Whether they're born in Nigeria, Spain, or the UK, some people are compassionate and a blessing to wherever they work, some are brusque, some are workshy shirkers, and some shouldn't be trusted with looking after the vulnerable. There is nothing about being born outside the UK that makes one automatically better at looking after the UK's elderly and disabled, so can we please stop that?

In fact, it can be harder for immigrants to provide good care, because of the lack of shared cultural references. For example, I once got called to intercede because a service user was distressed asking for "swap shop". He meant Multicoloured Swap Shop the 70s TV programme. My dad was also a fan, so I knew what was being asked for. Understandably, my overseas colleague had no idea what was being requested. This may seem a small matter to you, but it's big to someone with dementia. Especially when something like it happens every week due to the service's dependence on temporary overseas staff. The language barriers have a huge impact too.

What I would like is for management to create stable family-friendly rotas, so that people with their own caring responsibilities can apply. The ridiculous rotas we have are only workable for people without children or grown-up children, especially at the pittance we're paid. If we could make it more possible for mothers to work in adult social care, we'd magically improve the quality of applicants at my workplace with one stroke.

But as my management can get bodies on the floor in the form of overseas workers, they're not motivated to change. Regardless of whether some of those bodies do sweet F.A. on a shift.

Spot on. Care work hours are unsociable and unreliable and usually unsuitable for women with family commitments, but its so much easier to accuse British citizens of being workshy than address why there is such a shortage. I often missed out on pre planned arrangements such as cinema trips, as my rota would have extra added ( I was a community carer) just before my shift was due to finish. Id be out for 12 hours but only paid for 7, petrol costs were crippling but I received no petrol allowance. I completely understand why people don't do it, and its not down to laziness.

To be fair most Brits won't do the work, that's why they end up employing immigrants. Of course there's always the option of just leaving people without carers when they need them.

If it paid better more Brits would be willing to do it.

There's almost something humorous about this post following mine, but after my last shift I can't find it in myself to laugh.

But all the things that make it hard for British people to do the job (and I don't doubt what you say at all, I think care workers are horrifically undervalued) also surely make it hard for non-British people? I was talking to someone very recently who runs a care agency and they just don't have British people applying for the work. She said much the same as you about the cultural issues too, so I do get that it's not the ideal long term solution. People need care right now though so the carers have to come frome somewhere.

The non-British people we have are typically childless men and women, or men whose wives are looking after their kids back home. They've come to the UK to work, and only to work, so they can shuffle their personal lives around last minute shift-changes with less than a day's notice.

I could not have done this job when my children were younger or when my parents were alive, but my own previous caring responsibilities are part of what makes me good at my job. But people with current caring responsibilities can't have jobs where you find out you're on shift with 24 hours notice!

Completely agree.

The fact that the tabled welfare reforms were scrapped in favour of - no doubt - further tax rises on working people is disgusting.

Reform will be in even before the next scheduled election if Labour carry on like this.

In the FT

Foreign nationals account for about 12 per cent of the prison population in England and Wales, with Albanians representin the largest foreign nationality group in British prisons. The average annual cost of a prison place is £54,000, according to official figures.

so they’re not all careworkers

16% of the UK population is foreign born

There is a big difference between foreign born and foreign nationals.

Ok let’s base it on that then. estimate of number of foreign nationals in the UK is 10-18%, this will of course include tourists and unregistered migrants so is harder to quantify.

Tell me again what’s so outrageous about foreign nationals being 12% of the prison population? We can also assume that a fairly high proportion of them (around 4,000 last year) will be deported.

Unless their child only likes chicken nuggets from the UK, mind. And then they probably can't be deported on humanitarian grounds

@Welliesandtweed I think this post is spot on.

100%

It’s the Labour way. I’m surprised so many believed their election pledge that there wouldn’t be any tax rises on working people.

It's getting to the point where there is little point working as you could have almost as good a standard of living on benefits and with none of the stress that work entails. This is not a good thing. Benefits need to be cut and people encouraged/forced into work.

Yes I suppose the only stress is wondering when/if your benefits will be taken away, which they surely must when the benefit gravy train completely derails.

There is going to be a tipping point. All the discussions - even when they are just discussions - surrounding jnheritance tax or even lifetime gift allowances all send the message that being in any way frugal or saving is a mug’s game because the govt is going to take an increasing slice to pay for a rapidly swelling non-working class.

Middle-class people won’t rebel by going on marches or throwing soup at a painting, but by changing their financial behaviour.