Employment of foreign workers in the United Kingdom, 1997 to 2008

Abstract

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the source for estimates of migrant workers in the UK economy. This article presents the most up to date LFS figures using the population estimates published in 2007. It updates figures for 1997 that have been previously released in the public domain, and also provides the most recent estimates. Given the recent public interest in the topic, this article seeks to ensure greater clarity and timeliness of migrant worker reporting from the LFS in the future, in line with the recommendations of the Inter-Departmental Task Force on migration statistics (2006). It reviews the ways in which the LFS can provide migrant worker figures, and presents the new Office for National Statistics (ONS) standard definition for migrant workers.