NEWS

---

EU thumbs-up for 'Polish plumber'
The influx of Eastern and Central European migrants to older EU states has not destabilised their labour markets, the European Commission says.Fears of immigrants like the archetypal "Polish plumber" taking local jobs have been raised in several countries. The proportion of Eastern Europeans in old EU member states rose from 0.2% of the population in 2003 to 0.5% by 2008 but they helped growth by filling jobs, and did not drive down wages, it says.
2008-11-18
Older EU states ‘should open up to migrants’
The European Union is expected to encourage older member states to drop all barriers against the entry of migrant workers from newer EU countries in the light of research that suggest restrictions have relatively little influence on where workers settle. The research, which is to be presented to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg later on Tuesday, shows that countries such as Sweden, Finland, Greece and Portugal which opened their borders early on have low numbers of migrant settlement, while Germany and Austria have pursued restricted access policies but have higher relative numbers of entrants.
2008-11-18
The £7-per-hour jobs locals don't want
High wages have drawn scores of Eastern Europeans to at least one corner of England. But not everyone welcomes this new workforce even if unemployed locals themselves refuse to do the same jobs.
2008-11-06
Europe's looming skills crisis
The financial crisis and now deepening economic recession in Europe have buried one of the critical issues facing the EU: migration and its potential role in tackling skills shortages. It hasn't gone away; it remains acute. Indeed, as global competition for high skills deepens, it's there in heightened form.
2008-11-06