Will They Stay Or Will They Leave?

1

• Will They Stay Or Will They Leave?
• Understanding Migration and its impact in Rural
  Scotland
• Philomena de Lima
• Work Group Stream 1.2 Geographic Mobility and
  its Impacts on
• Rural Community Structure and Change
• European Society for Rural Sociology Congress ,
• 17-21 August 2009,Vaasa , Finland

2
Structure of Presentation

• Context Scotland
• Studies
• Key Findings
• Concluding thoughts and Questions

3
Context Scotland

• Location
• Population and Land by Geographic Area
• Age Distribution of Population of Rural Areas
• Policy Context

4
Location- Scotland
5
Percentage of Population and Land by Geographic
Area, 2006
6
Age Distribution of Population in Rural Areas,
Scotland, 2006
7
Policy Context

• Scottish Devolution (1999) Scottish Government
• Immigration reserved power to UK Government, but
  housing , education, justice etc are not reserved
• Scottish population strategy- Attracting
  migrants Fresh Talent Initiative population
  growth as part of the Scottish Governments (
  2007) economic strategy encouraging migrants to
  settle
• Equality and human rights framework UK Govt
• EU expansion cohesion agenda

8
Studies

• Research Background
• Research Foci and Methods
• Profile of Migrant Workers

9
Research Background

• Two studies commissioned by public agencies
• 2005 de Lima , Jentsch and Whelton Scottish
  Highlands and Islands
• 2007 de Lima, Masud, Whelton and Arshad
  Scottish Grampians
• Focus Impacts of migration into rural Scotland
  since 2004 and the expansion of the EU.

10
Research Foci and Methods

• Foci understanding the role of East European
  migrant workers in the labour market their
  impact on services and support required.
• Methods used
• Identifying trends secondary data
  sources/official data sets
• Qualitative studies ( interviews and focus
  groups )
• Highlands and Islands 59 employers36 migrant
  workers approximately 15 service providers
• Grampian 61 employers 87 migrant workers and
  46 service providers

11
Profile of Migrant Workers

• Predominance of Polish workers , but other
  nationalities were also involved- e.g.
  Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian,
  Romanian and Slovakian
• The majority were between the ages of 20 and 45
  years, at least half were single and a small
  number had dependants aged 16 years or under
  living with them.
• The majority had Certificate/Diploma (the
  equivalent of Higher National Certificate/Diploma
  Level) or degree level qualifications which were
  not recognised in the UK. However, most had
  difficulties in communicating in English.
• The majority were employed in sectors that
  required low levels of skills and paid low wages
  and were subject to seasonal variations .

12
Key Findings

• Drivers Rural migration in Scotland
• Drivers Rural migration in sending countries
• Social Integration
• Factors influencing integration
• Complex dynamics in understanding integration

13
Drivers Rural Migration in Scotland (1)

• High demand for labour in sectors such as
  agriculture, food processing, tourism, etc
• Difficulties in recruiting local labour because
  of 3 D ( dirty , dangerous and degrading )
  nature of jobs, as well as low wages and
  seasonal fluctuations
• There are not enough local people willing to
  do heavy, manual or repetitive work. You can only
  pay the rate for your industry, and agriculture
  is at the low end of pay rates. (Agriculture,
  Grampian)
• After speaking to others, I was surprised to
  find that the best Country House Hotels employ
  migrant workers. There are unemployed Brits but
  they will not work for the minimum wage.
  Everyone is in the same boat. I would like to
  employ locals but they will not do low paid work
  (Hotels and restaurants, Scottish Highlands and
  Islands )

14
Drivers Rural Migration in Scotland (2)

• Ethnic ranking - employer preferences
• The Poles are so hard-working they put the
  British workers to shame. It's so sad that they
  are qualified nurses who have to hide their
  training and skills to work as carers. The care
  sector could not manage without them.'
  (Nursing/Care Sector, Grampian)
• Policy economic growth, population strategy and
  demographic trends
• Informal networks and social capital chain
  migration

15
Drivers Rural Migration in Sending Countries
(1)

• Wage differential between the countries of origin
  and Scotland, even when it is low paid work by UK
  standards
• The country suffers from lack of money, so
  everything is done because of lack of money.
  There is a lot of unemployment, there are lots of
  educated people they cannot find employment.
  (Male, Hospitality)

16
Drivers Rural Migration in Sending Countries
(2)

• Other factors include
• Quality of life and some cultural similarities
• I want a better life for my children. There are
  economic problems at home with prices which are
  similar to here Highlands, but wages are four
  times lower. Latvia is like Scotland and Ireland
  because of the culture, people, and landscape
  although these are not the same as in Latvia they
  are quite similar. (Female, Fish Processing)
• The opportunity to learn or improve English
  language skills
• To be with friends or family

17
Social Integration

• Contested concept a two way process which is
  dynamic and interactive involving adjustments on
  the part of migrants, as well as people,
  institutions and services in the host society.
• Integration is contingent on and shaped by
  complex interactions , e.g.
• Global, national and local factors
• Heterogeneity of migrant and local populations,
  etc

18
Factors influencing integration

• Rural infrastructure
• Lack of experience in coping with migration
• Weak infrastructures (i.e. institutions,
  knowledge , skills, attitudes, etc) for
  responding to increasing cultural diversity
• Cost issues challenges of delivering services
  to diverse populations due to lack of economies
  of scale
• Host communities ( under researched area)
• Preparedness of host communities for living
  in increasingly diverse communities
• Resource competition fears and insecurities
• misinformation about migrants

19
Factors influencing integration

• Economic
• Under-utilisation of skills and qualifications
• 3 D work which is poorly paid
• Lack of recognition of qualifications
• Language and communication issues
• Entitlements
• Poor access to public services accommodation,
  language provision, etc
• Complexities in relation to entitlements/
  changing immigration rules
• Civic and Social
• Little social interaction with local
  communities, but some co-ethnic interaction
  through informal networks and faith based
  organisations
• Concerns about drink culture, issues of
  distance, cost and lack of time
• Much time spent on keeping in touch with families
  in home country

20
Concluding Questions and Thoughts

1. How do we enhance our understanding of the
   complex and dynamic relationships between migrant
   workers as a diverse group, and local
   communities, service providers and employers with
   regard to processes of inclusion and exclusion,
   whilst also taking into account agency?
2. How useful are traditional models of migration
   for understanding the relationships and tensions
   between strategies for attracting overseas
   migrants and addressing rural repopulation?
3. What is the likely impact on migration trends of
   wage gaps closing and better exchange rates in
   sending countries , as well as the impact of the
   economic downturn on attracting and retaining
   highly qualified migrants , in particular, in
   rural areas of Scotland?

21
(i) Complex dynamics in understanding
integration

• The tendency in the rural literature is to
  present migrant experiences as homogenous,
  privileging their migrant identity over and above
  other identities.
• As Sen (2001, p322) for example, argues
• A person can be Nigerian, an Ibo, a British
  citizen, a US resident , a women , a philosopher,
  a vegetarian, a Christian, a painter and a great
  believer in aliens who ride on UFOs each of
  these groups giving the person a particular
  identity which may be invoked in particular
  contexts.
• Research suggests a number of factors may come
  into play in understanding integration
• gender, ethnicity, education, language skills,
  life course stage, age, etc
• Entitlements
• Reasons for migration
• Access to social networks

22
(i) Not only Victims

• Tendency to portray migrants as invariably
  victims
• Migrants may often choose to forgo their welfare
  needs and rights
• They may have different expectations of the role
  of state in providing services
• Different cultural expectations of services
• Lack of social interaction with local communities
  may also be shaped by factors /decisions
  migrants make about how they prefer to spend the
  little time they have when they are not working .

23
(ii) Staying or leaving ?

• The following are important considerations in
  making decisions, some of which have particular
  rural dynamics at play
• Motivation for migrating
• Potential for progressing to better paid jobs and
  /or jobs that utilise their skills and expertise
  
• Access to social networks
• The extent to which issues, such as access to
  services
• ( e.g. accommodation, language training , etc)
  are resolved
• The attitudes and behaviours of local communities
  towards migrants economic downturns can make
  relationships difficult

24
(ii) Models of migration?

• Migration and integration have tended to be
  studied as two separate phenomena. Are they two
  sides of the same coin?
• Migration is complex and fluid traditional
  models of immigration as one off, linear,
  based on previous experiences of immigration from
  ex colonies are not appropriate.
• Also need to consider the extent to which
  proximity, transport and telecommunications
  impact on migration patterns and intentions
  regarding settling, etc
• Do we need a different lens to understand recent
  EU migration from Eastern Europe in the UK would
  labour mobility provide a more useful
  framework for understanding the movement of
  peoples from the recently expanded EU countries
  ?
• How sustainable are strategies for attracting
  migration from the recently expanded EU given the
  demographic trends in these countries?

25
(iii) Migration Trends key issues

• Circular /return migration of Eastern European
  migrant workers to their countries of origin
• Lower earnings and unemployment ( e.g. Accession
  8 workers in Britain UK)
• Increase in hostility to migrants among host /
  majority populations
• Migrant workers are more than just economic
  actors they are also social beings, who put
  down roots and form relationships in new
  countries. (update 1, 2009)
• Longer term trends difficult to predict for rural
  areas given their labour market requirements in
  particular

26
Selected References

• Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) (2007) A8
  Migrant Workers in Rural Areas
• http//www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/files/A820migr
  ant20workers20in20rural20areas.pdf ( accessed
  2.1.09)
• Cooke, S. and Spencer, S. (2006) 'Background
  briefing for Conference on
• Integration of Migrants Engaging employers,
  unions and the voluntary sector', Central London,
  4 July 2006.
• http//www.compas.ox.ac.uk/events/Reports20Presen
  tations/Background20paperIntegration20of20migra
  nts.pdf ( accessed 16.1.09)
• de Lima, P, Jentsch, B, Whelton, R (2005)
  'Migrant Workers in the Highlands and Islands'
  Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Inverness,
• http//www.hie.co.uk/HIE-economic-reports-2005/20
  migrant-workers-in-the-highlands-and-islands-repor
  t-2005.pdf (accessed 2.1.09)
• de Lima, P., Chaudhry,M., Whelton, R. and Arshad,
  R.(2007) Study of Migrant Workers in Grampian,
  Grampian Communities Scotland
  http//www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/gro
  ups/public/documents/webpages/pubcs_019731.pdf
  (accessed 12.11.08)
• de Lima and Wright (2009), Welcoming Migrants?
  Migrant labour in rural Scotland in Social Policy
  and Society, issue 83,391-404
• Penninx, R, Spencer, D. and Van Hear, N. (2008)
  Migration and Integration in Europe The State of
  Research
• http//www.compas.ox.ac.uk/publications/reports/Mi
  gration20and20Integration20in20Europe20Final
  20version.pdf (accessed 20.5.08)

27
Selected References

• Pollard, N., Latorre, M. and Sriskanarajah, D.
  (2008), Floodgates or turnstiles? Post-EU
  enlargement migration flows to (and from) the UK,
  London Institute for Public Policy Research
• Scottish Executive (2004), New Scots Attracting
  Fresh Talent to Meet the Challenge of Growth,
  Edinburgh The Scottish Executive
• Scottish Government (2008) Rural Scotland Key
  Facts 2008. Edinburgh Scottish Government.
  http//www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/236590/006
  4863.pdf
• (accessed 2.1.09)
• Sen, A. (2001) Other People. In Proceedings of
  the British Academy. 111, p.319-335
  http//www.proc.britac.ac.uk/tfiles/228479A/111p31
  9.pdf (accessed 6.10.2007)
• Somerville, W. and Sumption, M. (2009 )
  Immigration in the United Kingdom The recession
  and beyond. Available at
• http//www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/Immigration-in
  -the-UK-The-Recession-and-Beyond.pdf (accessed
  15 May 2009)
• Spencer, S., Ruhs, M., Anderson, B. and Rogaly,
  B. (2007), Migrants lives beyond the workplace
  the experiences of Central and East Europeans in
  the UK, York Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Update 1 February 2009 Migration and the
  Global Financial Crisis A Virtual Symposium at
  http//www.age-of-migration.com/uk/financialcrisis
  /updates/1a.pdf
• (accessed 12 August 2009)
• Vertovec, S. ( 2002) Translational Networks and
  Skilled Labour Migration. Paper given at
  Conference Ladenburger Diskurs Migration
  Gottlieb Daimler-und Karl Benz-Stiftung,
  Ladenburgh,14-15 February 2002 at
  http//www.transcomm.ox.ac.uk/working20papers/WPT
  C-02-0220Vertovec.pdf

28
Thank you

• Philomena de Lima Philomena.deLima_at_invernessuhi.a
  c.uk
• CRRS website www.crrs.uhi.ac.uk
• CRRS email crrs_at_uhi.ac.uk