LONDON: Britain’s high wages and low unemployment, rather than welfare benefits, have been the main economic draw for hundreds of thousands of migrants who moved to the country from southern and eastern Europe, a study said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister David Cameron insisted on measures to stop newly arrived EU migrants from claiming welfare when he renegotiated Britain’s EU membership terms in February, ahead of a June 23 referendum which could see Britain leave the bloc.
But a study by University of Oxford researchers suggested the welfare changes would not deter migrants from moving to Britain.
“Most migrants are not receiving welfare benefits and even in the absence of benefits, significant pull factors would remain,” the report said.
Opinion polls have put migration at or near the top of British voters’ concerns after the number of eastern Europeans who moved to Britain in recent years proved much higher than originally forecast by the government.
Many Britons argue migrants claim too much welfare, push down wages and worsen shortages of housing and public services. Government and academic studies have found little widespread evidence of this.
Wednesday’s report said EU migrants made up 6 percent of Britain’s working-age population last year, but only accounted for 2 percent of unemployment and disability benefit claims.
However, EU migrants claimed benefits aimed at the low-paid at a higher rate than people born in Britain, reflecting their greater likelihood to work in jobs that pay only a little over the minimum wage. Twelve percent of EU migrants claimed these tax credits, versus 10 percent of British natives.
Plentiful jobs and higher wages than at home were the main economic draw, alongside familiarity with the English language and the possibility of help from existing migrant communities.
The number of EU migrants living in Britain has risen by almost 700,000 in the past four years. Nearly 80 percent of them came from six countries, Poland, Romania, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Portugal.
Adjusted for living costs, average living standards in Britain are 80 percent higher than in Poland, and more than four times higher than in Romania. Unemployment in the southern European countries is more than double the rate in Britain.
Job prospects not welfare draw migrants to UK: Study
Job prospects not welfare draw migrants to UK: Study
Saudi Arabia, Japan trade rises 38% between 2016 and 2024, minister says
RIYADH: Trade between Saudi Arabia and Japan has increased by 38 percent between 2016 and 2024 to reach SR138 billion ($36 billion), the Kingdom’s investment minister revealed.
Speaking at the Saudi-Japanese Ministerial Investment Forum 2026, Khalid Al-Falih explained that this makes the Asian country the Kingdom’s third-largest trading partner, according to Asharq Bloomberg.
This falls in line with the fact that Saudi Arabia has been a very important country for Japan from the viewpoint of its energy security, having been a stable supplier of crude oil for many years.
It also aligns well with how Japan is fully committed to supporting Vision 2030 by sharing its knowledge and advanced technologies.
“This trade is dominated by the Kingdom's exports of energy products, specifically oil, gas, and their derivatives. We certainly look forward to the Saudi private sector increasing trade with Japan, particularly in high-tech Japanese products,” Al-Falih said.
He added: “As for investment, Japanese investment in the Kingdom is good and strong, but we look forward to raising the level of Japanese investments in the Kingdom. Today, the Kingdom offers promising opportunities for Japanese companies in several fields, including the traditional sector that links the two economies: energy.”
The minister went on to note that additional sectors that both countries can also collaborate in include green and blue hydrogen, investments in advanced industries, health, food security, innovation, entrepreneurship, among others.
During his speech, Al-Falih shed light on how the Kingdom’s pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka achieved remarkable success, with the exhibition receiving more than 3 million visitors, reflecting the Japanese public’s interest in Saudi Arabia.
“The pavilion also organized approximately 700 new business events, several each day, including 88 major investment events led by the Ministry of Investment. Today, as we prepare for the upcoming Expo 2030, we look forward to building upon Japan’s achievements,” he said.
The minister added: “During our visit to Japan, we agreed to establish a partnership to transfer the remarkable Japanese experience from Expo Osaka 2025 to Expo Riyadh 2030. I am certain that the Japanese pavilion at Expo Riyadh will rival the Saudi pavilion at Expo Osaka in terms of organization, innovation, and visitor turnout.”
Al-Falih also shed light on how Saudi-Japanese relations celebrated their 70th anniversary last year, and today marks the 71st year of these relations as well as how they have flourished over the decades, moving from one strategic level to an even higher one.
