I studied at the European Business School of Swansea University 1990 to 1994; don't recognise the authors offhand but several years have passed by and even the name of the department has changed (used to come under the faculty of Engineering).

From table 3 I note that in 2009 approximately 29 million people were working of whom about 25.3 were UK born and about 3.7 million were born outside of the UK.

I would imagine that the extra 14.6% added to our own workforce have added considerably to our economic wellbeing; especially as the other statisitcs seem to indicate that with all their problems immigrants claim only slightly more welfare benefits that our native born protoplasm.

I am too busy to read the abstract at the moment so have no idea if the statistics include political refugees.

It's sad to think that being able to work should be a human right, but that many genuine political refugees desperate to work are not allowed to work until their status has been fully ascertained (which can take a long time).

Nice to know, that in the present economic crisis, that youngsters in the UK determined to find work can always move to Germany where youth unemployment is lower!

Graham Barlow

Several times you have quite clearly stated:

"and those from Europe will even claim benefits for dependants back in their own Country under edict from Brussels"

Where do you get this information from?

Whare are they claiming from? (i.e. which government is paying?)

There is a difference between if you arrive in another EU country unemployed or work in another EU country and gain their benefits from your contributions and subsequently become unemployed in the other country.

I'm not sure, but believe benefits are paid for from the country the person became unemployed [if you arrive in an unemployed state] and there is some system to make the contra payments when paid by an unemployment agency in another EU country.

You can't move from say the UK to Sweden and demand their higher unemployment benefits or we'd have mass migration of unemployed people moving from countries with low unemployment benefits to those with the best; the EU isn't quite as stupid as you like to make out it is!

I did find this:

"I'm an EU national looking for a job in another EU country
If you are unemployed, you can move to one or more EU countries to look for work and continue to receive the unemployment benefits you are entitled to in the country where you became unemployed.

You can only do this if you are:
an EU national
wholly unemployed (not partially or intermittently)
entitled to receive unemployment benefits in the country where you became unemployed.
You would then be paid the same amount as before directly to your bank account in the country where you became unemployed. In principle, you can stay for up to 3 months in another country, but your home job centre might allow you to remain abroad for up to 6 months if you ask."

Graham, just because you keep repeating that we give unemployment benefits to the dependents of unemployed foreigners in their home country doesn't make it true; I'd be grateful to know where you get this information from.

Karl Smith

Thank you.

I am often wrong, but am pleased when somebody corrects my views with facts that can then alter my views.

I live in the eurozone. I like it where I am and believe that the EU has helped dramatically increase the local standard of living, even though here, as everywhere, people complain about the same things we've always complained about (inflation, government regulations, etc).

I believe that not just the eurozone, but other members of the EU outside the eurozone and the USA and Japan are all in a very dire situation.

It's not just serious; it's a genuine global crisis (at least in the world as we know it) with lots of very frightening possible consequences.

To tell the truth, I am far more concerned about unsustainable levels of sovereign debt throughout the 'western' world than I am about the symptoms shown in the present hysteria.

The symptoms are continuously being discussed ad infinitum, the real problem of unsustainable debt keeps being swept under the carpet.

The conflict between the perceived need for exponential growth (even at low figures such as 2% which grow to a huge amount over time) supported by increased debt needed to pay for the increased growth needed to pay for the increased debt is, to me, like a hamster running round a wheel in a cage faster and faster; sooner or later that hamster is going to die from complete exhaustion.

I just want enough food and shelter and the peace of mind that I can afford to drown in a nice EU wine lake if things get too bad!

@ Robert

" I am often wrong, but am pleased when somebody corrects my views with facts that can then alter my views."

Maybe, but not without childish insults and name calling...............

I have no idea what the rules and regulations for benefits are.

If it is really so much cheaper to live in Poland or elsewhere in Eastern Europe we ought, as a kindness, to be giving crash Polish language courses to the unemployed and ship them off to be unemployed in Poland where they will live in luxury instead of misery and squalor here.

All the UK accommodation released can be used to house mobile workers at minimal expense. House prices will come tumbling down, allowing the young to buy their own homes instead of paying rents so high that saving for a deposit is hopeless. We could also encourage pensioners to go and live in areas with a lower cost of living. They would benefit from their money going further and there would be less need for such things as cold weather payments. I hear Spain has lots of empty houses. Places like Thailand might be even cheaper. Is anyone in government investigating this? Export the old folk instead of importing Philippina care workers and even the rabid right would cheer. This all seems a win-win situation.