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The Guardian:
EU migrants have no negative effect on UK wages, says LSE

11 May 2016

Research blames 2008 recession for lower real salaries rather than rise in foreign workers, adding they paid more into UK economy than they took out
The rapid increase in migration from other EU countries has not had an adverse impact on the wages and job prospects of UK-born workers, according to research by the London School of Economics. The study found areas of Britain that have seen the biggest rises in workers from the rest of Europe have not suffered sharper falls in pay or seen a bigger reduction in job opportunities than other parts of the country. The LSE study, part of a series in the buildup to the EU vote on 23 June, also said that goods and services consumed by migrants raised the level of demand in the British economy and created opportunities for UK-born workers.

Jonathan Wadsworth, one of the co-authors of the report, said:
''The bottom line, which may surprise many people, is that EU immigration has not harmed the pay, jobs or public services enjoyed by Britons. In fact, for the most part it has likely made us better off. So far from EU immigration being a necessary evil that we pay to get access to the greater trade and foreign investment generated by the EU single market, immigration is at worse neutral and at best, another economic benefit.''

This article was published by The Guardian on May 11, 2016
Link to article here

Related publications
Brexit and the Impact of Immigration on the UK, Jonathan Wadsworth, Swati Dhingra, Gianmarco Ottaviano and John Van Reenen, CEP Brexit Analysis Series No.5, May 2016
See the complete set of CEP Brexit Analysis research papers here.

Related links
Jonathan Wadsworth webpage
Swati Dhingra webpage
Gianmarco Ottaviano webpage
John Van Reenen webpage
Labour Markets Programme webpage
Trade Programme webpage
Growth Programme webpage

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