MIGRATION CASE STUDY - POLAND TO UK

-As the UK is now part of the EU, people from any other EU country have the right to come here
-Between 2004 and 2007 half a million poles came here

PUSH FACTORS
-High unemployment – 19% in 2004
-Low wages – average income in EU three times higher than that of Poland
-Low housing availability – 300 houses per 1000 people

PULL FACTORS
-Easy migration – no restrictions
-Good exchange rate, £1 worth a lot in Poland, so they often sent money back to Poland from UK
-Plenty of better paid jobs – labour shortage of tradesmen – eg plumbers etc

Social
UK- Population increased, lots of migrants at reproductive age. Increased tax receipts helped ageing population pension problems
Poland- population decreased by 0.3% between 2003 and 2007. Birth rate also fell as workers of reproductive age left
Economic UK- Loses out, as a lot of the money earnt is sent back to Poland, not spent here
Poland- Helps economy as money arrives and is spent. However shortage of labour, less work done, economy doesn’t grow so much.
Cultural - UK -Polish shops opening up, Catholic church goers increases as many poles are Catholics.
Polital - UK-Immigration policy become stricter for other countries – eg Bulgaria

-In 2008 lots of migrants going back to Poland – economy of UK shrinking, less jobs available, exchange rate not so good. Polish economy growing, more jobs available.