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.

You do realise that a lot of these are highly qualified in their home countries.

Always on these threads, this presumably Labour take.

Care home workers should be paid a much greater wage than they are which should hopefully attract people to the profession. Otherwise we will carry on importing people that work for low wages, like some sort of poor serving indentured underclass. It always surprises me that people use that as an argument for more immigration. Come and serve us, poor people of the World!

Its disgusting people still hold on to that Blair propaganda from the late 90s as an excuse to open up to huge levels of immigration! Ive worked in the care industry and hospitality and warehouse all of which they used to say this and honestly the British are by far the hardest workers in them AND find it the most difficult to get the jobs anyway as a lot of these agencies are now run by foreign nationals who recruit their own or run by people who would rather recruit foreign nationals cheaply and on awful contracts.

It's a shame we take them here to work for us rather than benefiting their own country.

Then we need to accept that we need to pay more tax (to pay for the wage rise)

The alternative would be looking after our own parents at home.

We can not have it all.

...but its a tax payer funded service, albeit in the private sector, you want higher wages, then that means a combination of higher taxes or cuts elsewhere and greater contributions from those with assets, so scrap the 23k threshold.

Reeves put up taxes, to a huge outcry of horror, so which taxes should she put up to pay for higher wages?

Pay train drivers less (it should all be automated anyway).

Pay careworkers more

The problem is Labour is run by t'unions so they can't.

Uh huh

Can you talk me through the pathway by which a recent immigrant (entering on a skilled worker visa or...?) claims a free house and goes on benefits? Sounds like you're an expert.

I assume this is what the PP was referring to, it’s not as simple as ‘vacancies for doctors’.

https://www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-centre/bma-seeks-deal-on-doctor-unemployment-as-survey-reveals-half-of-resident-doctors-finishing-foundation-training-have-no-job-to-go-to-next-month

Are you economically and fiscally illiterate? To have completely missed OP’s point..

Be serious, there are 100s of 1000s of care workers and very few train drivers, slash their wages and they'll pay less tax...

Automation will cost 100s of billions, maybe we could pay MPs less to pay for it? lol!

One might ask how we got into this situation.. clue, it was a govt quite happy to let in millions of workers/dependents in over the last 14 years from 3rd world countries, even going against UN rules and taking workers from places like Nepal, a red list country, western countries barred from taking workers but that didn't stop the Tories.....

It always amazes me how many of these types of threads are started late at night, the sheer numbers of loud, anti immigration posts full of lies and disinformation posted about how bad it is for Britain when the majority of British people are asleep, and then how the tone changes in the morning and through the day when the majority of those who live in Britain wake up.

I'd love to do a Venn diagram one day.

Maybe the government could build council houses available solely for care workers born in this country, who have been working in care for at least 5 years. That would ease some of the recruitment issues.

How have we got this far on the thread without anyone pointing out that you need to earn over 41k to get a skilled worker visa?

Has noone actually applied for a mid-level job recently? They usually have in the small print THIS SALARY WILL NOT QUALIFY FOE A SKILLED WORKER VISA

So no, we're not importing all those 'skilled worker' list jobs wholesale, unless salaries in them have massively increased since I last looked

What are you actually talking about?? You've just contradicted your previous post asking why young British people aren't being trained in those sectors. As you've just said, they are.

The Labour government gave train drivers (already extremely well paid) a huge pay rise as soon as they came in. They did not give careworkers the same pay rise. Why did they make that choice? Because they are in hock to the unions. AND because you can import cheap careworkers from the third world but not traindrivers.

Such a shame this thread has degenerated into accusations of racism when I don’t believe I read any racist comments from OP.

A couple of excellent posts from @GeneralPeterwhich very few people have replied to on the economic impacts of our addiction to immigration. Can some of those shouting ‘but racism’ and not engaging with the original post perhaps give some thought to that?

Also, a few posts reflecting on how sad it is that we no longer see training our own homegrown school leavers and graduates as economically viable. I totally agree.

Yep, the far right have found mums net and are sowing the seeds of division and trying to stoke the flames of hate. Have to be alert to this insidious xeonphobia.

Good post. The post following it made me laugh.

Is there a link to the 700k figure?

It would surely come from the fees that the care homes charge? Not tax.

I'm from a small town where there has been a huge amount of immigration from India and Africa over the past few years. Most delivery drivers and garage shop workers appear to be Indian and care workers and security guards appear to be from Africa. My local residential area is still majority white British but much more ethnically diverse that it has ever been. Now most classrooms will have at least a few non-white kids of immigrant parents.

My initial observations is that this has been really good for my small town. In the town centre shops that have been empty for a decade have been re-opened, we have new interesting restaurants and cafes. Old unused offices have been turned into churches. More kids in general means more groups and activities opening up for them like sports clubs, dancing classes etc. A bit of life has been brough back to the town, which is a very positive thing in my view.

I suppose I worry though that issues could emerge down the line. Its one thing for the parents to make a choice to move to a different country in a different part of the world and for them to see their immediate financial situation improve when doing jobs that British people prefer not to do due to unsociable hours, low pay or perceived low status but how will their children and grandchildren feel about their prospects? The UK is a country with low social mobility and huge inequality compared to other developed countries. This means that these peoples kids will grow up with the same aspirations as British kids from low income families but face the same poverty traps.

Essentially what I am trying to say is that the real issue is inequality, poor pay, corporate welfare through in work benefits benefits which top up pay when companies should be paying fair wages and paying the tax they actually owe the government instead of huge bonuses to their board and shareholders. It will be this inequality that leads to problems down the line and that cuts across those who are recent arrivals and people whose families have been in Britain for centuries.

Why do you think you can’t import railway workers?

Although yes - unions fight for and secure benefits for their member workforces. Maybe care workers should try the same?

The UK median wage is currently £37k.

If anyone is earning half that I sincerely hope they'll report their employer for paying well under the minimum wage.