Number of migrant workers in UK hits 2 million mark for first time

The number of foreign workers entering the UK has reached two million for the first time, according to new research.

Statistics from the latest Labour Force survey reveal that an influx of Eastern European workers has bumped up the number of foreigners in the UK workforce by 75% in the past six years, from 864,000 in 2001 to two million people. This is equivalent to one in 14 of the total working population.

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More than 700,000 workers from Eastern Europe have registered to work in the UK from the eight countries which joined the European Union in 2004.

Meanwhile, the number of British born employees declined between 2001 and 2007, down by 500,000 from 24.4 million in 2001, to 23.9 million last year.