9. Why do highly educated migrants go for low-skilled jobs? A case study of Polish graduates working in London (original) (raw)
This chapter aims to elucidate the phenomenon of educated migrants from Poland working in low-skilled jobs in the United Kingdom. Based on research carried out on Polish graduates working in elementary occupations in London, it argues that, despite the micro-level focus of the study (individuals), the graduates’ particular labour market positioning can be explained only through a comprehensive analysis of factors surfacing at three different levels: macro, meso and micro. This is reflected in the structure of the chapter. Firstly, factors at the macro level are discussed: the transformation of Poland and its impact on the increased out-migration of graduates, the supply–demand nexus between the sending and receiving country, facilitating migration to the United Kingdom and the institutional and economic conditions influencing the positioning of Polish graduates in the British labour market. Analysed next are the meso-level factors promoting work below qualifications: the role of networks, ‘national traits’ and British employment agencies. Finally, the micro-level factors are examined that determine gravitation towards low-skilled jobs: the issue of individual capital and the impact of perceived aims of migration on labour market behaviour.
A question of class? Polish graduates working in low-skilled jobs in London
2011
Since the 1990s, there has been a growing trend of (temporary?) emigration of young, university-educated Poles. This phenomenon may be ascribed to the deep economic, political and social changes taking place in Poland after the fall of the Communist system in 1989 which resulted inter alia in an unprecedented educational boom and a simultaneous rapid increase in unemployment levels, particularly among young people (Fihel et al. 2008a). At the same time, the opening of borders entailed a growing popularity of foreign travel and international migrations. Under the circumstances, many graduates of Polish higher education institutions decided to seek work abroad and while the United Kingdom had become one of their favourite destinations already in the 1990s, it had gained even more popularity upon Poland’s European Union accession in May 2004. Nevertheless, even though the UK has for years particularly attracted educated migrants from Poland (Fihel et al. 2008, Grabowska-Lusinska and Ok...
Since Polish migrants began entering the UK labour market in the post-accession period, there has been a significant amount of case study research focusing on the impact of this large migrant group on the UK economy. However, ten years after enlargement, there is still insufficient information re- garding the labour market mobility of Polish migrants residing in the UK for the longer term. The available research on this topic is largely concentrated in urban settings such as London or Birming- ham, and does not necessarily capture the same patterns of labour market mobility as in non-urban settings. Using qualitative data collected in three case study locations – urban, semi-urban and rural – in the South Wales region from 2008–2012, this article has two main aims. First, given the proximity of the case study locations, the article highlights the diversity of the Polish migrant characteristics through the samples used. Second, using trajectories created from the data, this article compares the variations among the labour market movements of the Polish migrants in each sample to determine what characteristics influence labour market ascent. Through this comparative trajectory analysis, the findings from this article point to the relative English language competency of migrants as the primary catalyst for progression in the Welsh labour market across all three case study regions. The secondary catalyst, which is intertwined with the first, is the composition of the migrants’ social networks, which enable, or in some cases disable, labour market progression. These findings have significant implica- tions in the national and in the supranational policy sphere regarding the employment of migrants as well as their potential for cultural integration in the future.
Mobility in Transition: Migration Patterns after EU Enlargement, 2013
This volume presents new research on post-accession migration from Central and Eastern Europe in the short period since the EU enlargements of 2004 and 2007. Explanations of post-accession migration patterns, trends and mechanisms delve into the complexities of these phenomena. New groups of migrants and types of migrations are identified -- such as young migrants, often students or graduates, without family obligations and without clear plans concerning their future life. Case studies on Poland, Romania, Hungary and Latvia as well as the United Kingdom and Germany - being major destination countries - divulge the multifaceted nature of transition, whether in the form of labour migration, short-term mobility (including among international students) or return migration. The volume insightfully points towards future migration trends and sets guidelines for further research.
On the Labour Market Progress of Polish Accession Workers in South-East England
International Migration, 2011
The enlargement of the European Union (EU) in May 2004 produced a very significant wave of immigration to the United Kingdom that is likely to continue to impact its labour market in forthcoming years. Polish migrants were by far the largest cohort of the new entrants. This paper complements previous work that has begun to establish the characteristics and labour market performance of migrants from the new member states who have entered the United Kingdom. This paper uses a unique microlevel data base to investigate the labour market evolution of Polish migrants in the UK labour market. We find that in the first UK job returns to human capital were negligible. However, for the current job an extra year of education increases the weekly gross wage by 3.2 per cent. There is evidence of a gender differential in pay in both jobs and that older workers are paid more than their younger counterparts but this effect becomes insignificant in the current job. We find that hours worked is a significant factor in wage determination. However, the influence of hours worked on wages declined by approximately 38 per cent between the first and current job. Results from multinomial logit models suggest that overtime there is some ''match'' between the occupational groupings that these workers were attached to in Poland and the United Kingdom. We also find evidence that the use of employment agencies by some of these workers increases the likelihood of employment in skilled manual and nonmanual occupations. Workers who have had supervisory responsibility in the United Kingdom are more likely to be in professional or intermediate occupations.
Where and Why in the UK? The Case of Polish Migrants
Olsztyn Economic Journal
This article focuses on one of the most controversial issues frequently discussed by many including politicians, academics and the media in the UK and Poland: migration of Polish people to Britain. The main aim is to identify the important factors causing migration of Poles within the UK. In this article, the authors seek to study the pull factors, i.e. level of wages or employment rate, for Polish people between different regions within the UK. By using the data from "Labour Force Surveys" collected by the UK government; and data from Główny Urząd Statystyczny (GUS) in Poland, this paper analyses where and why the Polish migrants live in the UK. The most important factor determining the fraction of Polish people in a given region is the fraction of Polish people in that region in the past. When Polish people move within UK, they tend to choose a region with a higher level of gross pay, and they don't seem to consider the risk of unemployment. The authors are grateful ...