Huge influx of Eastern European workers
Northamptonshire has let up to six times as many eastern European workers into the county as neighbouring authorities, new figures have shown.
Statistics from the Worker Registration Scheme, which registers migrants from new EU member states to work in the UK, show Northamptonshire accepted 1,265 applications from April to June this year.
The figure is six times as many as Leicestershire (200), and five times as many as Buckinghamshire (250).
In Northampton alone, a total of 895 Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovakian and Slovenian nationals were registered to work, compared to other local authorities such as Melton in Leicestershire, which accepted 10, and South Buckinghamshire, which accepted 35.
Melanie Crofts, a lecturer in immigration and equality law at Northampton University, said: "There was already a fairly sizeable Polish community in the county before the accession of Poland into the EU, and so already having a base here would provide contacts for others entering the UK.
"Northampton also has good transport links and is a gateway to other areas, but also the type of work available is mainly manufacturing and distribution, for which there is difficulty recruiting.
"There are some agencies that are going over to countries like Poland in order to recruit workers because employers struggle to find local people to fill the vacancies.
"But migration overall has a positive impact and, rather than migrants taking the jobs of native workers, a growth in labour means a growth in the job market."
However, the figures do indicate a fall in approvals compared with April to June last year, when Northamptonshire accepted 1,339 applications.
The highest number of Polish approvals came between July to September 2006 when Northamptonshire registered 1,498 Polish applicants to work in the UK.
Anjona Roy, chief executive of Northamptonshire's Race Equality Council, said: "It's the same across the country. There are issues around people needing skilled workers and there being people who are willing to do it, such as night shifts, which are unpopular with other workers.
"It could also be that, over the holiday period, there were opportunities for and shortages in jobs.
"It's also a sign of economic growth in Northamptonshire, which is one of the fastest growing economic centres in the country with a diverse economic base.
"It's a sign that the country is changing and there are challenges, benefits and opportunities for everyone, and I can't see how it can be anything but a good thing for Northamptonshire."
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