A recent report by the United Nations says that in ten years from now there will be only 87 young entrants to the labour force for every 100 retirees. It concludes that the only solution will be to import labour from abroad.
Meanwhile, according to a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the UK labour force will start to shrink in 2010 and, unless we find labour from somewhere, economic output will start to stagnate.
Recent genetic evidence suggests that 75 per cent of our ancestors came to what is now called the UK as hunter-gatherers, between 15,000 and 7,500 years ago. The other 25 per cent came in successive waves of immigration.
- The Celts
Celts arrived from Europe around 1000BC when the UK population was little more than 100,000 souls. They brought us the bagpipes, tartan and Celtic art which is still popular today. But most importantly they brought a highly flexible grammatical structure that would later help English to become the language of global commerce. - The Romans 43AD-410AD
The Romans first arrived in 43AD and stayed for another 400 years. The population possibly rose to a million by 200AD but there were never more than 50,000 Romans here at any one time. They unified Britian administratively, they brought us straight roads, the Latin language, limited concepts of rights and citizenship and inspired our first national love affair with the continental lifestyle. - Anglo Saxons 400AD-600AD
As the Romans left, the Anglo Saxons arrived. The local population declined after the Roman retreat but the Anglo Saxons never numbered more than tens of thousands in a total UK population measured in hundreds of thousands.
Traditionally, they were seen as the creators of Englishness, although recent research suggest that they were too few to have any more than a cultural effect. They are said to have brought us the fair hair, the English sense of humour, the English language and a sense of openness and fair play that contributed to the development of both capitalism and its ideological stablemate, democracy. - Danes and Vikings 789AD-1104AD
This was one of the least successful waves of so-called immigration. They brought terror, death, destruction and the almost complete eradication of local culture. They left little of lasting value – other than York. Despite their fearsome reputation, historians reckon that there were rarely more than a few hundred in the country at any one time. - Normans 1066AD
During the 11th century the UK population may have grown to one million, but William the Conqueror's men probably never numbered more than 10,000. However, they provided the new ruling class, contributing French vocabulary to the language, castles, a basic form of local government and strong central government. - Huguenots C17th
The Huguenots were French Protestants fleeing Catholic persecution in France. They began arriving in England around 1670 and numbered perhaps 50,000 in all. At the time, the UK population was about six million. Most settled in Spitalfields, London, where they reinvigorated the British silk industry. Others went to Ulster where they helped develop the Irish linen industry. - Jews C17th
Perhaps the most economically significant wave of Jewish immigration into the UK occurred in the 17th century when William of Orange adopted a policy of encouraging wealthy Dutch Jews to settle here. By 1753, there were probably fewer than 8,000 in all.
Jewish financiers such as the Rothschilds pioneered many of the techniques of financial engineering that were to build the British Empire and the modern global economy. - Commonwealth immigration 1948-1972
The late 1940s witnessed acute labour shortages in the UK as a result of the loss of manpower during WW2 and subsequent mass emigration. So in 1948 the Government passed the British Nationality Act which gave all Commonwealth citizens full rights of entry and settlement in Britain.
Asians, Africans and Afro-Caribbeans came to fill vacancies in hospitals, on the railways, in factories, local authorities, retailing and the service industries. Roughly 3 million came in all. Commonwealth immigration all but stopped when laws were tightened up in 1972.
As well as supplying cheap labour, Commonwealth immigrants have contributed significantly to business, professional and cultural life of the UK making it one of the most vibrant and diverse countries in the world. - Ugandan Asians 1972
In 1972, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin gave the Asian community in Uganda 90 days to leave the country where they dominated the economy. But Uganda's loss was Britain's gain. About 30,000 came to the UK – many of them penniless. Within a matter of years, many had prospered and were running highly successful businesses in confectionery, retailing, pharmaceuticals, fashion and property. - Eastern Europe 2004-
In 2004 the European Union was extended to include Malta, Cyprus and eight former Soviet Block countries from eastern and central Europe. All EU states except Ireland, Sweden and the UK imposed restrictions on the subsequent movement of labour from those countries.
The result has been an influx to the UK of largely skilled manual labourers – so-called 'Polish plumbers' and unskilled white collar workers (students) – from those countries.
Hundreds of thousands have entered the country, but actual immigration is far lower because most are here for the short-term and intend to return home. Government figures suggest permanent immigration is running at about 70,000 a year.
Although it is too early to provide an objective perspective on their effect, so far they seem to have eased some critical labour shortages, they've helped keep labour prices down and have improved standards of craft skills in some industries.
RELATED ARTICLE: The enterprising Sir Digby Jones
