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Immigration and the labour market: theory, evidence and policy

March 2009

Equality and human rights commission

Type of publication: Reports

Theme: Community investment / responsible business

The current economic downturn has led to questions over the value of economic migration. Public opinion supports the view that immigrants take natives’ jobs and reduce their wages, but most economists disagree. Although basic laws of supply and demand suggest that immigration could reduce wages by increasing the supply of workers, in reality the economy also responds to immigration by increasing demand for labour. This means that the actual impact of immigration is likely to be small, especially in the long run.

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Immigration and the labour market: theory, evidence and policy [393 KB]