Asylum seekers aren’t ‘taking’ British jobs – but giving them the right to work makes things better
Various studies and reports show that lifting employment bans can yield significant economic benefits both for asylum seekers and the countries that host them.
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Amid the racist, far right violence sweeping the UK this week has been a theme present in anti-immigration politics around the world: the idea that immigrants are “taking” jobs that would otherwise go to native-born residents. The economics of labour migration are complicated, and there has been plenty of research over the years that shows this trope is not true.
The violence targeting asylum hotels is particularly horrific, as well as misguided. The UK currently has one of the strictest bans in Europe on asylum seekers entering the labour market. Put simply: asylum seekers aren’t “taking” British jobs – they aren’t allowed to.
Giving asylum seekers the right to work, however, would improve society for the whole of the UK, bringing economic benefits and enabling better integration of newcomers.
Under current immigration rules, asylum seekers are prohibited from working while their claims are being processed. After 12 months, they can work only in certain roles – until recently, these were jobs on the shortage occupations list. On April 4, it was announced that this would be changed to jobs on the immigration salary list. This remains a very limited list and a long ban on employment.
Campaigners have long called for the rules to be relaxed, arguing that the restrictions have a negative effect on both refugee integration...
