The Number of Romanians And Bulgarians Applying For a Job in the UK Doubles in a Year

The latest information shows that workers from Romania and Bulgaria filled one in 14 additional jobs created. In fact, 115,000 people found a job in the three months leading up to September. This has doubled in comparison with last year.

Romanians and Bulgarians Conquer the UK This Year

Record numbers of Romanians and Bulgarians have taken jobs in the UK since January 1, despite assurances by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Labour MPs that there would be no major influx. The results are on course to meet forecasts by Sir Andrew Green, chairman of think- tank MigrationWatchUK, where he has predicted that  50,000 people from Romania and Bulgaria would seek work in the UK each year.

The shock increase comes after the EU rules forced the UK to drop visa restrictions on job seekers from Romania and Bulgaria from January 1. The UK has therefore become a new destination for job hunters. Romania’s leading recruitment website had over 42,000 applications for UK jobs from an estimated 23,000 people in the first three months of the year. In the same period last year there were only 18,369 applications by 11,708 job seekers. The second most popular destination, Germany, received less than half the number of CVs sent to the UK.

The immigration situation changes in the UK

The Office for National Statistics’ data has increased fears that an influx from Eastern Europe will place extra demands on Britain’s schools, healthcare and the welfare state, while also forcing down wages. The ONS figures revealed a surge of 312,000 people born overseas finding jobs in the UK in the year up to September 2014 – a blow to the Government’s aims to slow immigration.

The figures do not include unemployed or dependent relatives of immigrant workers. ONS figures also revealed 131,000 newcomers from outside the EU found jobs in the UK in the 12 months to September, taking the total to 2.9 million. From within the EU, where residents have full freedom of movement and access to work, 181,000 found jobs in the UK over the same period – a rise of 11 per cent to nearly 1.82 million. It included a high number of workers from Poland and other former Eastern European countries which joined the EU in 2004.

There was a 42,000 fall in workers from western Europe, including Italy, France and Germany, despite the economic crisis in the Eurozone appearing as severe as ever.

A wish to change free movement rules

The Prime Minister wants to change free movement rules so that poorer nations have to reach a level of economic prosperity before they can access jobs in other countries. Ministers have introduced measures to prevent EU migrants from claiming unemployment benefits for their first three months here.

Immigration minister James Brokenshire said two- thirds of employment growth in the last year was accounted for by UK citizens. He also added that the Government’s immigration policies are “benefiting UK nationals first, while still attracting skilled migrants where needed”. The minister is expected to urge other EU countries to work with the UK on sweeping changes to the way the union operates.