EU MIGRANTS and BENEFITS :
FACTS and FIGURES
Esther Lieu
Feb 2012
WHY IS THERE SO LITTLE DATA ON
NATIONALITY OF BENEFITS CLAIMANTS?
The DWP said, in response to a Parliamentary Question,
that whilst nationality is a factor for residence-based
benefits, once residence is established, “nationality is not
required for further processing and is therefore not
routinely held on DWP computer systems”.
All figures are therefore estimates produced by a
collaboration between the DWP, HMRC and UKBA.
The Universal Credit system (as of 2013) will record
nationality alongside benefit claimed.
NINO ALLOCATIONS TO NON – UK NATIONALS
In 2010 / 2011 the ‘top’ nationalities of non-UK NINO
allocations were:
•
1. Turkey (81,180; 16% increase from 2009/ 2010);
•
2. India (74410; 1% decrease);
•
3. Pakistan (41240; 80% increase);
•
4. Republic of Lithuania (40840; 74% increase)
•
5. Republic of Latvia ( 27260; 18% increase)
• … 9. Romania (22000; 24% increase)
Statistics mirror global events (e.g. an increase by 56% of
NINO allocated to RoI nationals in light of recession)
NINO ALLOCATIONS TO EU NATIONALS 1
Total number of NINO registrations to adult overseas
nationals entering the UK in 2010/11:705,000, of which:
- 376,000 were to EU Nationals (increase of 89,000 on the
previous year); of which
– 225,000 were to EU Accession nationals, an increase
of 42,000 (23%) on the previous year
Between April 2004 – March 2010, 1,483240 National
Insurance Numbers (NINOs) were issued to A8 Nationals,
accounting for 39.1% of all NINOs issued to overseas
nationals in the same period
NINo Allocation to EU & Accession Nationals
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
Europe - EU excluding
Accession Countries
23%
.23%
19%
15%
15%
15%
18%
16%
19%
Europe - EU Accession
Countries
5%
8%
27%
42%
45%
45%
37%
32%
32%
Figures as % of allocations to
non – UK nationals
0.50
0.45
0.40
0.35
Europe - EU excluding Accession
Countries
0.30
0.25
0.20
Europe - EU Accession Countries
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11
A8 NATIONALS – WRS & NINO
More NINOs were issued to A8 migrants than WRS Registrations
recorded over the same period of time, because:


WRS does not record all A8 migrants who were self-employed/ not
employed;
Not all A8 migrants registered (e.g. a third of A8 nationals interviewed in
Glasgow were not WRS registered)
Therefore WRS data underestimates scale of Eastern & Central European
migration to UK
Where A8 Nationals Work2 (as % of WRS registrations):





Administration, business & management (42%)
Hospitality & catering (18%)
Agriculture (10%)
Manufacturing (7%)
Food Processing (5%)
TIME LAPSE: NINO REGISTRATIONS &
BENEFITS CLAIMS
In 2010/ 2011 of the 225,000 NINO registrations by non –
UK nationals, within 6 months of arrival:
- 79% of EU nationals had registered for a NINO
- 49% of African nationals had registered for a NINO
In 2009/ 2010 of the 573,000 NINO registrations by non-UK
adults, within 6 months of registration:
- 4.6% claimed out-of-work benefits of which:
– 81% claimed JSA
– 9% claimed ESA
– 10% claimed IS
CLAIMS – BY BENEFIT (FEB 2011)
In 2010 / 2011 over 5.5 million people claimed DWP
working-age benefits, of which:
- 371000 (6.4%) were by non-UK nationals, of which:
- 25% were by EU Nationals of which:
- 8% by EU Accession Nationals
JOB-SEEKER’S ALLOWANCE
- 1,438,700 Claimants of which:
- 121,700 (8.5 %) non – UK, of which:
- 25010 (20.5 %) EU Nationals (excl. Accession Countries)
- 12840 (10.5 %) EU – Accession Nationals
CLAIMS – BY BENEFIT (FEB 2011) Cont…
EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT ALLOWANCE
- 2,578,700 Claimants of which:
- 130,400 (5.1%) non-UK, of which:
- 23460 (17.9%) EU Nationals (excl. Accession Countries)
- 8820 (6.7%) EU-Accession Nationals
INCOME SUPPORT ALLOWANCE
- 191800 Claimants of which:
- 10,900 (5.7%) non-UK, of which:
- 1400 (12.8%) EU Nationals (excl. Accession Nationals)
- 390 (3.5%) EU-Accession Nationals
BENEFITS – BY (non-UK) NATIONALITY
Job- Seeker’s Allowance (Feb 2011)
- 121,700 claims made, of which the top 3 non-UK nationalities were:
Somalia (7660)
Pakistan (6450)
Poland (6390)
Employment Support Allowance (Feb 2011)
- 130,400 claims made, of which the top 3 non-UK nationalities were:
- Pakistan (11490)
- R.of. I (8920)
- India (8650)
NB: Poland is the only previous Accession State to appear in the
top 20 for any benefit claimed.
IMPACT OF MIGRATION
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research
(NIESR) found that the number of migrant workers coming
to UK over past decade had little or no impact on
joblessness, for example finding no association between
rising immigration and an increase in JSA claims.
(Migration Watch alleged link between 600,000 rise in
Eastern European migrants and 450,000 rise in youth
unemployment in same period: NIESR study showed him
to be wrong, and unemployment due to recession)
SOURCES
1. National Statistics: Statistical Bulletin 25 August 2011 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15230
2. Population Trends nr 145 Autumn 2011:
Trends in A8 migration to the UK during the recession
David McCollum and Allan Findlay
Centre for Population Change, Geography, School of the Environment, University of Dundee,
http://www.cpc.ac.uk/publications/