Last year saw a decrease in the number of European Union citizens working in Great Britain. Out of the 2.28 million workers, almost a million were Polish. The number of immigrants from Central Europe decreased in 2017 by 86,000. This is the largest drop since measurements began in 1997.
The largest decrease has been noted amongst the countries which joined the EU in 2004 such as Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and the Baltic States. The number of migrants from Bulgaria and Romania is rising, however.
Although the UK has hit the lowest unemployment rate (4 percent) since 1975, the decline in migration from within the European Union may give cause to worry.
Decrease in migration from Poland is an indication of the strength of the Polish economy
Jonathan Portes from King’s College London argues, that calling the phenomenon “the Brexodus” is a stretch. Over two million EU citizens still remain in the country, after all. He does admit, however, that there is no doubt that the United Kingdom has become less attractive to migrants due to Brexit.
Portes also stated that the decrease in migration from Poland is an indication of the strength of the Polish economy.
The Polish economy is one of the fastest developing in Europe. GDP is estimated to increase in 2018 even by up to 5 percent.
The next estimates concerning the number of Poles living in the United Kingdom will be published in the second half of November.
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