UK labor market: Migrants fill 80% of new jobs since 2014

Research indicates that between 2014 and the end of 2025, approximately 80 percent of new jobs in the United Kingdom were filled by migrants. Out of 3.7 million new registered positions, British citizens accounted for only 734,000. EU nationals filled roughly 408,000 roles, while workers from non-EU countries accounted for approximately 2.5 million new jobs.

The trend toward foreign labor has accelerated since 2020, with growth most prominent in healthcare, hospitality, retail, and support services. Conversely, the number of registered jobs held by British citizens has declined in nine out of twelve UK regions, including notable decreases in Scotland and London.

Parallel to these shifts, the number of people receiving social security benefits has risen by 2.3 million since 2020, with approximately 6.7 million people in England, Wales, and Scotland receiving such payments. Iain Duncan Smith, founder of the Centre for Social Justice, criticized successive governments for choosing immigration as an easy solution rather than improving opportunities for disadvantaged communities. Meanwhile, Reform UK has proposed levies on foreign labor to prioritize British workers.