Tide turns as Poles end great migration

The upsurge in immigration which had significantly assisted in fuelling Britain’s boom at the beginning of the century is over as Polish immigrants start to make their way home.

Polish people are now returning to Poland in greater numbers than they are coming to Britain. The statistics indicate that in the third quarter of 2007, only 38,680 Polish people signed the Government’s register for migrant workers which was an 18 percent decrease from the year before.

Polish officials have said that Poles leaving Britain are outnumbering those coming in. Currently, there are no solid statistics on the amount of Poles leaving Britain and there are no embarkation controls imposed on EU members so as a result they are not counted. Polish officials and the media as well as British employment organisations all claim that the wave of immigration has significantly changed.

Since joining the EU in 2004, approximately 274,065 Polish people have signed on for the Worker Registration Scheme. Poles account for 66 percent of the applications from Eastern Europe. A combination of factors such as the tightening economic conditions in Britain, a relatively weak pound and an exceptional surge in the Polish economy have affected the number of Poles migrating to Britain making it less attractive for Poles to stay. President of the Federation of Poles in Britain said that the first group that have been affected were the builders. He went on to say that not many were willing to wait until the construction boom expected for the 2012 Olympics. In addition, the Polish economy is currently experiencing an unprecedented growth and although there is inflation in both Britain and Poland, it is less noticeable in Poland because of the strong currency.

The Centre for International relations predicts that one million Poles based in Britain will return home. Chris Zietkowski a Polish decorator and painter told the times that he was planning on returning to Poland this year. He explained the reasons behind his decision and stated that two years ago he was making five times the amount he was making in Poland. However, now the wages are more similar and the cost of living in the UK has significantly increased. In addition, there is more work in Poland, making it a good time to return. Mr Zietkowski also said that a lot of his friends were also considering returning home because there was not enough incentive to live away from friends and family.

The wave of immigration encouraged supermarkets to start introducing different Polish products in order to take advantage of the spending power of the new migrants. In addition, Polish radio stations and newspapers were also set up and libraries started to stock Polish books. The young migrants, majority of which are aged between 18 and 25 swiftly took over the plumbing and building industries and highly commended for their low prices and strong work ethic. The previous year’s decrease in the building industry encouraged Poles to return home.