The state of UK migration statistics and research

On December 6^th Professor John Salt was discussant at a joint Home Office/Royal Statistical Society meeting on UK international migration statistics. There were two papers, one from the Home Office - “Enhancing Home Office Statistics on UK Migration Control” – and one from the ONS – “Developments in the Measuring and Reporting of International Migration Statistics”.

John acknowledged that the Office of National Statistics and Inter-Departmental  Migration Statistics Improvement Programme had significantly enhanced the quality, quantity and accessibility of UK migration statistics compared with a few years ago. There were still major problems, however, ­­ including:

• the small sample size of the International Passenger Survey data source;
• continuing shortages of emigration data;
• the patchiness of local area data;
• over optimism about the potential contribution of e-borders statistics.

In the longer term, the only step change that could improve the statistics would be the development of a population register, as in many other European countries.

On 12th December John also chaired a discussion at a Home Office European Migration Network seminar on research priorities relating to intra-EU migration. Among the issues requiring further evidence were:

• the real role for government in managing migration;
• the role of universities in a knowledge economy;
• how successful are immigrant entrepreneurs?
• the need for more micro analysis of the experiences of migrants;
• the key role of London in the UK migration system;
• the need for more research on the less skilled in the labour market;
• the role of both large and small employers in recruiting and moving migrants.