Data sources

There are a number of sources of information that are often referred to as offering some data on the migrant worker population. These include, but are not limited to, the following data sources:

• Work permit applications;

• International Passenger Survey (IPS);

• The Census;

• Labour Force Survey (LFS);

• The School Census (or Pupil Level Annual Schools Census (PLASC) as it was previously known);

• electoral roll;

• National Insurance Registration data (NINo); and

• Worker Registration Scheme (WRS)

What follows is a description of the different data sources, what they can tell us about the migrant population, as well as the caveats to using such data.

Work permit applications

Work permits are generally only issued for certain types of work and normally only when the employer has been unable to recruit a suitable employee from within the European Economic Area (EEA)48; however, it also includes Sector Based Scheme (SBS) which currently applies to Bulgarian and Romanian nationals and covers only the Food Manufacturing Industry. They are applied for by the employer and do not contain residential information about the employee49. Therefore, although it may provide some quantification of work permit applications, they do not specify where the recipients reside.

46

Rees, P. and Boden, P. (2006) Estimating London’s new migrant population: Stage 1 – review of methodology, London: Greater London Authority (GLA).

47

Dudman, J. (2007) ‘Getting the measure of immigrants’, Public, November 2007; House of Commons Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Eleventh Report, 9th October 2007; Institute of Community Cohesion (2007) Estimating the scale and impacts of migration at the local level, London: Local Government Association (LGA).

48

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier2/workpermits/

49

Pemberton, S. and Stevens, C. (2006) Supporting Migrant Workers in the North West of England, Liverpool: Merseyside Social Inclusion Observatory.

36 International Passenger Survey (IPS)

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a survey of a random sample of

passengers entering and leaving the UK by air, sea or the Channel Tunnel50. Over a quarter of a million face-to-face interviews are carried out each year with

passengers51 and the IPS offers the only data collection technique measuring in- migration and out-migration52.

The IPS has been seen as an important source of information on international migration; however, it is based on a sample of 1 in 500 passengers. Its value therefore deteriorates when looking at specific requirements; for example, intended destination of migrants within the UK.

The Census

The Census of population is a survey of all people and households in the country. It is carried out every ten years, providing details on age, sex, occupation, country of birth, ethnic group, martial status, etc. It is the only survey which provides

information on the entire population.

With regards to looking at the migrant population, the last Census was carried out in 2001, which is prior to EU expansion. This means that Census data has limited use with regards to showing population flows from the A8 and A2 countries since

accession, which is the time when there have been dramatic changes in population flows.

Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS)

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a quarterly sample survey of households living at private addresses in the UK, providing information on the UK labour market53. It is based on a sample of around 60,000 households nationally and although it provides a regional picture of the labour force, it is not broken down at a local authority level. The LFS also excludes most communal establishments, which can under-report the number of foreign born workers54.

Information relating to individual local authorities can be taken from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which combines information from the LFS with other local area labour force surveys. Although this can be disaggregated by local authority

there is a limit to the information that can be provided given the small sample size55.

50 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ssd/surveys/international_passenger_survey.asp 51 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ssd/surveys/international_passenger_survey.asp 52

Rees, P. and Boden, P. (2006) Estimating London’s new migrant population: Stage 1 – review of methodology, London: Greater London Authority (GLA).

53

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Source.asp?vlnk=358

54

Clancy, G. (2008) Employment of foreign workers in the United Kingdom: 1997 to 2008, Economic & Labour Market Review, 2, 7: pp 18-30.

55

This information is available from Nomis, which is a service provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

37 The School Census

The School Census or Pupil Level Annual Schools Census (PLASC) records pupils who have entered state schools within each local education authority (LEA),

recording information on first language and ethnicity of pupils.

Given that it is a school census, it can naturally only offer information with regards to migrants of school age56. Furthermore, it focuses on state schools, which does not offer a complete census of school age children57. Despite these limitations, however, comparing successive datasets can provide a picture of demographic change in a local authority area.

Electoral register/roll

The electoral register/roll lists the names and addresses of everyone who has registered to vote. Recently quoted statistics indicate that an additional one million new voters have registered over the past two years, a large number of which is attributed to immigration particularly from Eastern Europe58. Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, public access to the electoral register/roll is strictly controlled. The full register is available to Credit Reference Agencies, while an edited version is

available to purchase for commercial uses; for example, other credit and marketing activities59.

Worker Registration Scheme (WRS)

The Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) was introduced in 2004 for A8 migrants (i.e. those from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia). It requires individuals from these countries to obtain a registration certificate for each job they have in the UK60. Once they have been working continually for twelve months they no longer have to register and can obtain a residence permit61.

The WRS enables monitoring of which national groups are coming into the UK labour market and the type of employment they are undertaking. WRS data can be broken down by local authority area, and provides information by national group in relation to:

• age;

• dependants;

• gender;

• hourly rate of pay; 56

Pemberton, S. and Stevens, C. (2006) Supporting Migrant Workers in the North West of England, Liverpool: Merseyside Social Inclusion Observatory.

57

Rees, P. and Boden, P. (2006) Estimating London’s new migrant population: Stage 1 – review of methodology, London: Greater London Authority (GLA).

58

Slack, J. (2008) ‘Immigration adds a million new voters to the electoral register in just two years as total hits record 46million’, Daily Mail Online 7th April 2008, Internet reference:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-557878/Immigration-adds-million-new-voters-electoral-register- just-years-total-hits-record-46million.html

59

Rees, P. and Boden, P. (2006) Estimating London’s new migrant population: Stage 1 – review of methodology, London: Greater London Authority (GLA).

60

Pemberton, S. and Stevens, C. (2006) Supporting Migrant Workers in the North West of England, Liverpool: Merseyside Social Inclusion Observatory.

61

38 • hours worked per week;

• industry sector;

• intended length of stay; and

• top ten occupations.

WRS data does not include those from the A2 countries (Bulgaria and Romania) and also excludes those who are self employed. It is also based on the postcode of the

employer rather than the employee. Furthermore, an individual who has registered to work and who leaves employment is not required to deregister; therefore, some of those counted will have left the employment for which they registered62. Finally, the figures rely on official registration, which naturally cannot account for those who are not registered.

National Insurance Registration data (NINo)

Acquiring a National Insurance Number (NINo) is a necessary step for

employment/self employment purposes, as well as to claim benefits or tax credits63. NINo information is available for the number of allocations to adult overseas

nationals (including both A8 and A2 migrants). This can be broken down at a local authority level, providing analysis by calendar or financial year. Again, these figures rely on official registration and therefore cannot account for those who are not

registered.

The approach taken for this study

It must be recognised that available data cannot be aggregated to provide a definitive answer with regards to the size of the local migrant worker population. However, some of the sources listed above can provide useful information with regards to changes in characteristics of the population in recent years.

Information from the WRS and NINo does not provide a ‘net’ measure of migration and the figures are unable to show movement of people within the UK or how many people have returned home. However, we would advocate using these sources as a

starting point to providing some information nationally and for Nottingham specifically. WRS and NINo data has been used in previous studies64. Furthermore, the Audit Commission identify these as the ‘best’ sources of information with regards to migrant workers65. Analysis of these sources can enable us to describe the

characteristics of the migrant worker population and identify any changes in national groups over the past few years. What follows is a brief description of what the data tells us.

62

Home Office (2008)Accession Monitoring Report May 2004 – December 2008, London: Home Office.

63

Rees, P. and Boden, P. (2006) Estimating London’s new migrant population: Stage 1 – review of methodology, London: Greater London Authority (GLA).

64

See, for example, Hunt, L. and Steele, A. (2008) Migrant workers in Rochdale and Oldham, Salford: University of Salford;Pemberton, S. and Stevens, C. (2006) Supporting Migrant Workers in the North West of England, Liverpool: Merseyside Social Inclusion Observatory.

65

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