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

Structure of Presentation • Context: Scotland

• Studies

• Key Findings

• Concluding thoughts and Questions

Context: Scotland

• Location

• Population and Land by Geographic Area

• Age Distribution of Population of Rural Areas

• Policy Context

Location- Scotland

Percentage of Population and Land by Geographic Area, 2006

Cited in Scottish Government (2008, p6) Source: General Register Office for Scotland, 2007 (2006 mid-year estimates based on data zones) (Based on Scottish Executive Urban Rural Classification, 2005-2006

Age Distribution of Population in Rural Areas, Scotland, 2006

Cited in Scottish Government (2008, p7)Source: General Register Office for Scotland, 2007 (2006 mid-year estimates on data zones) (Based on Scottish Executive Urban Rural Classification, 2005-2006)

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 Government’s ( 2007) economic strategy ; encouraging migrants to settle

• Equality and human rights framework: UK Govt

• EU expansion: cohesion agenda

Studies

• Research Background

• Research Foci and Methods

• Profile of Migrant Workers

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.

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 employers;36 migrant workers; approximately 15 service providers

Grampian: 61 employers; 87 migrant workers; and 46 service providers

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 .

Key Findings

• Drivers : Rural migration in Scotland

• Drivers : Rural migration in sending countries

• ‘Social Integration’

• Factors influencing ‘integration’

• Complex dynamics in understanding ‘integration’

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 )

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

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)

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

‘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

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’

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

Concluding Questions and Thoughts

i. 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?

ii. How useful are traditional models of migration for understanding the relationships and tensions between strategies for attracting overseas migrants and addressing rural repopulation?

iii. 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?

(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

(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 .

(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

(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?

(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

Selected References Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) (2007) A8 Migrant Workers in Rural Areas http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/files/A8%20migrant%20workers%20in%20rural

%20areas.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/Reports%20Presentations/Background

%20paperIntegration%20of%20migrants.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/%20migrant-workers-in-the-highlands-

and-islands-report-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/groups/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 8:3,391-404

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/Migration%20and%20Integration%20in%20Europe%20Final%20version.pdf (accessed 20.5.08)

Selected ReferencesPollard, 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/236590/0064863.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/111p319.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/working%20papers/WPTC-02-02%20Vertovec.pdf

Thank you

Philomena de Lima: Philomena.deLima@invernessuhi.ac.uk

CRRS website : www.crrs.uhi.ac.uk

CRRS email : crrs@uhi.ac.uk