Economic Migration of Eastern Europeans in the UK after the UK Referendum Held in 2016

Abstract

The economic status of Eastern European migrants has become a major issue in the UK, as it was one of the main arguments for leaving the European Union in the 2016 Referendum. The negative view on migrants from Eastern Europe in the UK relies on the fact that these migrants are a major burden for the British social and healthcare system. At the same time, however, the issue of modern slavery is discussed, based on the fact that Eastern Europeans in the UK are willing to work under undignified working conditions. The aim of the paper is to analyse and evaluate the economic status of Eastern Europeans on the UK labour market. The paper is based on the theoretical concept of the dual labour market, which is used in the analysis of real data. The dataset used was prepared by the UK Office for National Statistics (GB): As the conclusion, the expected changes in migration of the Eastern Europeans after the UK’s leaving the European Union, currently scheduled for 31 November 2020, are given.